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That is where medication can be helpful as Dr. But you must work at it and the more acute the disorder the more difficult it is to shift control. Once that realization hits home, you shift ALL your focus to something else such as work, a good book, playing with your child, or anything activity that removes you from the obsessive "stuck in gear" pattern.
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The most memorable, constantly reinforced phrase I recall from the book is that whenever you find yourself obsessing about an undesired thought, simply say to yourself "its not me its my OCD". I am not medically trained but found the explanations plausible enough to continue on into the treatment phase. "Brain Lock" demystifies OCD by attempting to explain the physiology behind the disorder. Knowledge is power so no longer stigmatized, I was able to approach the problem as any other by looking for further research on treating the disorder and lucky for me, I came across the book "Brain Lock". As a result, I now understood that OCD (and panic) is nothing to be ashamed of and in fact is highly treatable due to recent, breakthrough advances in treating mental illness, medication being at the top of the list. I'm fortunate not to suffer from this form of OCD, although I have experienced some agoraphobia, not uncommon with panic/OCD patients. I say mild since there are clearly OCD patients whose lives are extremely curtailed by the disorder such as incessant hand washing, fear of contamination, leaving the house, and so on. The panic disorder finally led me to a specialist who diagnosed both the panic and a mild form of OCD. For years I tried to self-analyze the thoughts which amounted to pulling on one of those ropes which would further constrict the more you struggled. Once the panic was under control (via meds) I started to search for a cognitive-behavioral treatment plan to control the obsessive thoughts. Schwartz' book over 2 years ago while in the throes of a debilitating panic disorder fueled by OCD-like intrusive thoughts. I just hope to help someone else before they fall into the same situation. Of course, I did not want them - I feared them. I made the mistake of not asking when I first started with a new one and quickly realized that it terribly exacerbated my condition to see someone that just wanted to dig deep into the content of my OCD and why I would "want" these bad things to happen. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a good thing to look for in a therapist. Another note to anyone recently diagnosed. After 5 years of living a much improved life by this system, I would highly recommend this to anyone with anxiety. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars because it has such an amazingly positive impact on my mental health. Every night when I would lay there panicking about the terrible fears in my head, reading this book always helped me feel better (at the very least, it distracted me as is explained in the 4 steps). Even so, this book (along with an amazing therapist) really saved me. I have "pure o" OCD which is harder to treat because there are no compulsions. I don't normally write reviews, but I feel really strongly about this one.