Zusatztext "Dr. Grayson... writes about [OCD] with the mind of a scholar and the heart of a healer. Anyone who is plagued with chronic doubt, anxiety, and destructive rigid social behavior should read this book, and listen to what it says." Daniel Gottlieb, Ph.D., host of NPR's Voices in the Family "Not just another self-help book, this is an actual course of interactive therapy that breaks the cycle of fears and ritual. Dr. Grayson's uniquely empathetic and effective approach offers readers the understanding and motivation they need to get welland stay well."Patricia B. Perkins, J.D., executive director, Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation Informationen zum Autor Jonathan Grayson, PhD , is the director of the Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Philadelphia. A nationally recognized expert who has worked with OCD sufferers for more than three decades, Dr. Grayson was awarded the Patricia Perkins International OCD Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 for his work with OCD. In 1981 he organized the first OCD support group in the country, to which he still donates his time. He lives in Philadelphia. Klappentext Nearly six million Americans suffer from the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can manifest itself in many ways: paralyzing fear of contamination; unmanageable "checking rituals; excessive concern with order, symmetry, and counting; and others. Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder provides Dr. Jonathan Grayson's revolutionary and compassionate program for finally breaking the cycle of overwhelming fear and endless rituals, including: Self-assessment tests that guide readers in identifying their specific type of OCD and help track their progress in treatmentCase studies from Dr. Grayson's revolutionary and profoundly successful treatment programBlueprints for programs tailored to particular manifestations of OCDPreviously unexplored manifestations of OCD such as obsessive staring, Relationship OCD (R-OCD), obsessive intolerance of environmental sounds and chewing soundsTherapy scripts to help individuals develop their own therapeutic voice, to motivate themselves to succeedNew therapies used in conjunction with exposure techniques"Trigger sheets for identifying and planning for obstacles that arise in treatmentInformation on building a support groupAnd much more Demystifying the process of OCD assessment and treatment, this indispensable book helps sufferers make sense of their own compulsions through frank, unflinching self-evaluation, and provides not only the knowledge of how to changebut the courage to do it. Acknowledgments Introduction I was standing in an open field, looking back into the forest and brush, watching the others struggle their way out. It was raining. I had purposely taken everyone off trail through trees and undergrowth so densely packed that forward movement was a slow process of stepping over and through bushes and being on guard for branches snapping back from whoever was in front of you. Melanie, the fourth person to emerge into the freedom of the clearing, shouted, I'm having a great time! The photographer documenting our trip for People magazine snapped a picture. Seeing Melanie's joy, it was hard to connect this woman with the one I'd met seven months earlier at my former center, The Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center in Philadelphia. When I met Melanie at our first session, she was an extreme suicide risk all medications in her home, even aspirin, had to be locked in a safe. Her parents wouldn't permit her to carry more than two dollars at a time, fearing that access to more money would enable her to commit suicide with over-the-counter medications. She was an attractive and articulate twenty-nine-year-old with a fifteen-year history of both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Her OCD focused on issues of per...

Autorentext

Jonathan Grayson, PhD, is the director of the Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Philadelphia. A nationally recognized expert who has worked with OCD sufferers for more than three decades, Dr. Grayson was awarded the Patricia Perkins International OCD Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 for his work with OCD. In 1981 he organized the first OCD support group in the country, to which he still donates his time. He lives in Philadelphia.

Klappentext

Nearly six million Americans suffer from the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can manifest itself in many ways: paralyzing fear of contamination; unmanageable "checking” rituals; excessive concern with order, symmetry, and counting; and others. Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder provides Dr. Jonathan Grayson's revolutionary and compassionate program for finally breaking the cycle of overwhelming fear and endless rituals, including:

• Self-assessment tests that guide readers in identifying their specific type of OCD and help track their progress in treatment
• Case studies from Dr. Grayson's revolutionary and profoundly successful treatment program
• Blueprints for programs tailored to particular manifestations of OCD
• Previously unexplored manifestations of OCD such as obsessive staring, Relationship OCD (R-OCD), obsessive intolerance of environmental sounds and chewing sounds
• Therapy scripts to help individuals develop their own therapeutic voice, to motivate themselves to succeed
• New therapies used in conjunction with exposure techniques
• "Trigger sheets” for identifying and planning for obstacles that arise in treatment
• Information on building a support group

• And much moreDemystifying the process of OCD assessment and treatment, this indispensable book helps sufferers make sense of their own compulsions through frank, unflinching self-evaluation, and provides not only the knowledge of how to change—but the courage to do it.

  Leseprobe

Acknowledgments

Introduction

I was standing in an open field, looking back into the forest and brush, watching the others struggle their way out. It was raining. I had purposely taken everyone off trail through trees and undergrowth so densely packed that forward movement was a slow process of stepping over and through bushes and being on guard for branches snapping back from whoever was in front of you. Melanie, the fourth person to emerge into the freedom of the clearing, shouted, “I’m having a great time!” The photographer documenting our trip for People magazine snapped a picture. Seeing Melanie’s joy, it was hard to connect this woman with the one I’d met seven months earlier at my former center, The Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center in Philadelphia.

When I met Melanie at our first session, she was an extreme suicide risk— all medications in her home, even aspirin, had to be locked in a safe. Her parents wouldn’t permit her to carry more than two dollars at a time, fearing that access to more money would enable her to commit suicide with over-the-counter medications. She was an attractive and articulate twenty-nine-year-old with a fifteen-year history of both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Her OCD focused on issues of perfection. When taking notes during class, if there were any cross-outs, stray marks, folds, or creases in her notebook, she would feel compelled to discard the page. Similarly, she wouldn’t tolerate any such marks in her textbooks and would cope with such “imperfections” by not using the text. Though she found school a nightmare of anxiety, Melanie did well in the courses she managed to complete. But many of her attempts to go to school resulted in anxiety and depression severe enough to require psychiatric hospitalization.

Melanie also felt as though she was horribly ugly—so repulsive that she believed it was a burden for those around her to tolerate her presence. This is what it feels lik…