Daring to Challenge OCD: Overcome Your Fear of Treatment and Take Control of Your Life Using Exposure and Response Prevention

by Joan Davidson

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may suffer from obsessive thoughts and anxiety, and use compulsions to alleviate your distress. You know, more than anyone, how debilitating this condition can be. But you may also be reluctant to start treatment due to fears and misconceptions regarding therapy-particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. You may even think of a number of reasons not to go, or to drop out, but if you are committed to getting better, you need to take that important step toward healing.

ERP is a proven-effective treatment that can help people with OCD break free from the constraints of their disorder; however, starting treatment can feel frightening. Many people wonder what treatment will be like and how they will ever face some of their worst fears. They want to hear from others who have successfully completed therapy. In Daring to Challenge OCD, anxiety specialist Joan Davidson, PhD, gives a thorough overview of ERP, what to expect during treatment, and offers gentle guidance to help you finally overcome the common fears and obstacles that can stand in the way of getting the help you need. Three clients with different OCD symptoms share their personal stories and insights about OCD and treatment.

If you are considering treatment, you may ask yourself, What will my therapist expect me to do? Will treatment be too difficult for me to handle? Will I be asked to do things that put me at risk? What are realistic expectations for recovery? This book will demystify treatment for OCD so that you can face your fears and start changing your life. And if you are a therapist helping clients build motivation to engage in ERP, this book offers real treatment stories and exercises for clients, making it an invaluable resource for therapists and wonderful suggested reading for clients building motivation to commit to treatment.

Genres: Psychology, Mental Health, Nonfiction, Self Help

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Mary Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one of the three contributors to this book . I'm thrilled about how much knowledge and experience went into it and how much it is going to help people who are suffering like I was.

When I was suffering at my worst, I searched high and low for a book like this; with real stories and first hand experience with CBT / ERP. So grateful I found help and could share my story.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads FirstReads giveaway.**

I am a therapist and often work with people with OCD. Daring to Challenge OCD is geared towards adults with OCD who are thinking about entering treatment. The chapters cover topics such as recognizing OCD in its many forms, why treatment is likely to be worth it, what to expect from treatment, and what to expect after treatment. Dr. Davidson's treatment of each of these topics combines her knowledge and experience as a psychologist, the experiences of three people with OCD who bravely contributed to the book, and the latest research in the OCD field. Each chapter also contains one or more exercises designed to help the reader apply the material; for example, in the first chapter, the exercise helps the reader start to identify some of their own OCD themes. This book is not designed to help people completely conquer their own OCD, but rather to get an idea of what treatment will be like with a therapist who is skilled in treating OCD.

One of the greatest strengths of the book is that it is based on the most recent research on OCD, while still being very readable. (At 179 pages, it is a quick read.) The book firmly guides people with OCD towards exposure with response prevention (ERP), which is the treatment-of-choice for OCD. I would definitely recommend this book to people who think they may have OCD or are considering ERP.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've Still Yet To Come Across A Satisfactory OCD Book.



After hearing Joan Davidson on The OCD Stories Podcast Episode 14 i did not hesitate at all to purchase this book. She spoke our language on that Podcast, it was amazing.

Sadly the book disappointed.

It was ERP repeated over and over throughout using only 4 OCD examples which we are always hearing about when it comes to OCD, contamination, religion, harm.

What about Pure O?

I appreciate she mentions that her ERP method is for all types but to just choose common themes to discuss is quite shallow.

I find that when someone who specialises in self help has a brilliant Podcast or is featured on a Podcast their book is always a let down.

This book is way too stretched out and the OCD patients' examples are boring. This could've been written at a fraction of the number pages it has.

The highlight i got from this book was that anxiety can only reach so far then it starts to come back down!

There are no real decent OCD books, I'm just sticking to podcasts and YouTube videos from now on.

[Paige P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I treat people with OCD and I am always looking for informative books to recommend to clients. This book is an excellent resource to teach clients and therapists about basic exposure therapy for OCD. It does not reference the newest neuropsychological research about how long it takes and how the process of relearning in the brain takes place. But still, an excellent resource for understanding how to begin exposure therapy.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you or someone you know suffers from OCD, then you might want to pick up this book. Although I do not suffer from OCD and cannot apply this book to myself, it seemed to be well researched with a lot of suggestions on how to manage your OCD. The author includes the stories of three people who have different OCD symptoms to help illustrate her points and make them seem attainable. If you suffer from OCD, you might want to pick up this book. It may be able to help you alleviate some of the symptoms of OCD... if not, at least you will know that you are not alone and that there are others who understand what you are going through.



**This book was received through Goodreads Giveaway program. It did not influence my opinion and all opinions are solely my own.**