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Hello,

I am wondering if anybody has had success at recovering from OCD with the use of self help books?

If so, what is the book that worked for you?

The reason I ask is that I've read a few books, but find it really difficult to apply the techniques. That leads me to think that professional help might be my best option?

Thanks for reading my post ?

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I am wondering if anybody has had success at recovering from OCD with the use of self help books?

I don't know of anyone that's completely recovered using self-help books but I myself and others have used them pre and post therapy to compliment our therapy and push our OCD boundaries. In all honesty I have not had a set course of CBT, I have only ever had a few ad-hoc sessions so I guess my recovery (although not complete) is primarily through guidance of this place, experts I chat to and books.

The key though is choosing the 'right' book. There are lot of self-help books, but every few are fully CBT focussed (many look at the exposure aspect but not cognitive).

Break free from OCD one of the better books (there are others).

But in general books are a great tool for improving our general knowledge base around OCD.

That leads me to think that professional help might be my best option?

I would say absolutely in most cases it is imperative. Even the best self-help book is only helpful if A) the reader can understand and interpret the information correctly and B) is self-disciplined enough to push and challenge their OCD. For most of us, if we could do that we would not have OCD so that's where a therapist becomes invaluable. A good therapist is not just a teacher, they are a motivator and a cheer leader who will influence positive change in us.

Good luck whichever direction you go in.

Ashley.

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Guest Lotty

Yes I agree 'Break free from ocd' is good. The advice on this forum is invaluable though. I joined this forum to chat to others who could empathise with what I was going through, but I never expected such brilliant advice. I have a fab therapist too, and in combination I have learnt and applied a lot. Thanks Ashley, you are making a big difference to a lot of people. ☺

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Guest Jane_29

One of the best self-help books on OCD I found was 'Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' by David Veale and Rob Wilson, precisely for the reasons you state. They describe how to do a course of CBT and exposure, but they make sure to discuss ways in which you might accidentally do it wrong and how to avoid the common traps and pitfalls ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-Books/dp/1849010722/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458832152&sr=8-1&keywords=overcoming+obsessive+compulsive+disorder) I thought this was one of the clearest and most up-to-date books (even if when I met the author at an OCD conference all I managed to do was confuse and annoy him, but that's another story...! :D )

A couple of the OCD books out there, my personal private opinion is that some of their techniques are out-of-date or don't work that well. For example, 'The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD' has some nice ideas, but the recent evidence is kinda starting to show that meditation can't help a full-blown severe case of OCD because it's gone beyond a certain point; also, 'Brain Lock' by Jeffrey M. Schwarz suggests a technique that didn't really work for me and doesn't seem that effective. And the author is kind of nuts too. BUT others have said they really, really liked these books! So opinions do vary :) I think if you catch your OCD early or you have a reasonably mild case, you might do better with these?

Three other very good books on OCD are Rose Bretecher's 'Pure' (good for sexual obsessions), David Adams' 'The Man Who Couldn't Stop' (good for an overview and history of the disorder), and Lee Bauer's 'The Imp of the Mind' (short on techniques but really good on 'Pure O' examples and and information). If you have the budget, getting any of these is one way to help recovery because the information gives you a better understanding of how your OCD works. I found just reading through the case studies in these extremely helpful, because it gave me a 'heads up' for what new tricks my OCD might play on me next.

However, Ashley certainly is right too. If you're having difficulties applying the self-help advice, and it's not just that you maybe accidentally got the technique a bit wrong, a professional therapist can help guide and coach you through recovery. For me personally, I got my symptoms down to 95% gone for quite a few months at a stretch, all through self-help books (the psychiatrist I saw didn't properly understand how bad my OCD was, suggested unhelpful techniques, and it just carried on getting much worse after I'd finished with her, until I learned the proper techniques in self-help books. Let it be a lesson to us all...! It's important to get a therapist who KNOWS OCD properly and explain yourself CLEARLY to them. Don't be an idiot about it like I was :D )

ERP is one of the toughest therapies to do, and a psychiatrist to be your 'cheerleader' and motivate you through it can be invaluable.

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ERP is one of the toughest therapies to do, and a psychiatrist to be your 'cheerleader' and motivate you through it can be invaluable.

It's not the ERP that I think people need the help of a therapist for (and generally I would not recommend a psychiatrist either, unless they deliver CBT), the reason I believe people will really benefit from a therapist (usually a psychologist) is for the cognitive aspect, helping us understand our faulty thought processes if you like. After that doing behavioural therapy becomes much easier on our own as our own therapist.

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Guest doris

I did the vast majority of my healing with a self-help book as I couldn't afford to pay professionals and the free counsellors weren't aware of proper therapy for ocd. The book I loved was "Getting over OCD" by jonathan Abramowitz. it's done as a 10 step program and I found it to be a very clear and comprehensive guide through the cbt/erp process. It offers a lot of worksheets so that you are not just reading the material, but actually working your way through the book.

I did use the free counselling services alongside this book just to get some personal general support as I worked through it all and that was helpful as well.

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Hello Again,

I would just like to say thank you very much to everyone for taking the time to read my post and reply

The replies are very useful and have given me some good ideas going forward

Take care and have a lovely Easter weekend

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Hi All

My experience of OCD books is quite odd: I have quite a few of them on my shelves, but when I was last very ill - some seven years ago, my psychiatrist told me to not use them as my OCD was too severe and that I needed to focus on the therapy the NHS was providing me with (as incomplete as I felt that to be at the time). I have never really followed the course of treatment outlined in any of the books that are commercially available, for this reason, and I agree with Ashley that sometimes a professional's input is the best thing for OCD - they can respond to the nuances of your particular obsessions and compulsions and give you moral support.

That's just my opinion and experience though - others may have very different things to report on the self help book front.

Best wishes

Tez :D

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I did the vast majority of my healing with a self-help book as I couldn't afford to pay professionals and the free counsellors weren't aware of proper therapy for ocd. The book I loved was "Getting over OCD" by jonathan Abramowitz. it's done as a 10 step program and I found it to be a very clear and comprehensive guide through the cbt/erp process. It offers a lot of worksheets so that you are not just reading the material, but actually working your way through the book.

I did use the free counselling services alongside this book just to get some personal general support as I worked through it all and that was helpful as well.

That one sounds pretty good - homework by the sufferer is a prerequisite to improving.

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