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The Upside of OCD: Flip the Script to Reclaim Your Life
Bloomsbury presents The Upside of OCD by Michael Alcée, read by Ian Porter.
Many OCD sufferers fail to improve using the standard exposure-response prevention (ERP) treatment. But, as clinical psychologist Michael Alcée contends, it’s not the patients who are failing the treatment, but rather the treatment that is failing the patients.
Using vivid case examples, practical exercises, personal anecdotes, and inspiring stories, The Upside of OCD shows sufferers and therapists the creative powers that allow OCD sufferers to see the world with such unique depth, feeling, and intensity.
Many OCD sufferers fail to improve using the standard exposure-response prevention (ERP) treatment. But, as clinical psychologist Michael Alcée contends, it’s not the patients who are failing the treatment, but rather the treatment that is failing the patients.
Using vivid case examples, practical exercises, personal anecdotes, and inspiring stories, The Upside of OCD shows sufferers and therapists the creative powers that allow OCD sufferers to see the world with such unique depth, feeling, and intensity.
- GenresMental HealthPsychology
Audible Audio
Published November 6, 2025
12 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Michael Alcee
2 books14 followersMichael Alcee, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in Tarrytown, NY, and is a Mental Health Educator at the Manhattan School of Music.
In his first book, Therapeutic Improvisation: How to Stop Winging It and Own It as a Therapist, Michael demonstrated how all clinicians are artists, reading the changes like well-versed jazz musicians, finding the poetic turns in their client's stories like skilled writers, and reveling in the creative act that emerges in the humanistic encounter of psychotherapy.
In his forthcoming book, The Upside of OCD, Michael takes on the field's tilted view of OCD as merely a biological and behavioral condition. Instead, he claims that OCD is a misunderstood existential and empathic sensitivity that has served the life and work of notable OCD sufferers like climate activist Greta Thundberg, author John Green, record producer Jack Antonoff, biologist Charles Darwin, and innovator Nikola Tesla. Carrying on the relational work implied in Freud's case of the Ratman, Michael believes that OCD arises as an intriguing interplay of nature and nurture, one that can only be fully healed through an integrative approach that embraces meaning and feeling in equal measure alongside thoughts and behavior.
Michael has been a TEDx speaker and organizer and is a regular contributor at Psychology Today along with contributions to NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times, among others.
In his first book, Therapeutic Improvisation: How to Stop Winging It and Own It as a Therapist, Michael demonstrated how all clinicians are artists, reading the changes like well-versed jazz musicians, finding the poetic turns in their client's stories like skilled writers, and reveling in the creative act that emerges in the humanistic encounter of psychotherapy.
In his forthcoming book, The Upside of OCD, Michael takes on the field's tilted view of OCD as merely a biological and behavioral condition. Instead, he claims that OCD is a misunderstood existential and empathic sensitivity that has served the life and work of notable OCD sufferers like climate activist Greta Thundberg, author John Green, record producer Jack Antonoff, biologist Charles Darwin, and innovator Nikola Tesla. Carrying on the relational work implied in Freud's case of the Ratman, Michael believes that OCD arises as an intriguing interplay of nature and nurture, one that can only be fully healed through an integrative approach that embraces meaning and feeling in equal measure alongside thoughts and behavior.
Michael has been a TEDx speaker and organizer and is a regular contributor at Psychology Today along with contributions to NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 30, 2024
This book is a meditation on what is unique about an OCD person's inner life, sensitivity, and strengths. The author explains that many OCD sufferers don't improve through exposure therapy and other traditional approaches, and he suggests that these therapies can fail patients by treating OCD and intrusive thoughts as random, meaningless garbage, rather than delving into the patient's personality and life history in a way that helps them make meaning out of their experiences and value their strengths.
In my experience, my intrusive thoughts WERE random, meaningless garbage, and exposure therapy worked extremely well. Parts of this book seemed off-putting to me at first, since delving into my internal life and trying to psychoanalyze meaning behind my mental issues for years and years just made things worse. Still, I tried to read this with an open mind, knowing that it can be helpful for people with different OCD experiences.
The author incorporates personal stories, case studies about other people, information from the history of psychology, and various literary and pop culture references. The book offers lots of examples to relate to, and highlights ways that OCD may be a messenger or provide some kind of support, rather than just being a random intrusion. For example, someone who struggles to set boundaries may let their OCD speak for them, and may struggle to work through their OCD because they're dependent on being able to get out of things because of their OCD. Without digging further, someone may not be able to recover with standard therapies that ignore the deeper issues going on.
Each chapter includes reflection exercises and ideas for how to handle different things, with the hope that some of these different approaches and different ways of seeing things will help someone have a breakthrough in accepting themselves and making the most of their unique brain. The strengths-based approach will resonate with people who feel broken because of their OCD, but if someone is looking for a more targeted treatment plan, they need to know that this book is very meditative, broad, and general, focusing on big ideas and individual examples without diffusing everything into clear action steps.
I found this book interesting, but would mainly recommend it to people who are already very well-versed in OCD literature and have experience with it. Parts of this may be confusing to people who don't have a strong handle on the subject, and this book could also discourage people from pursuing traditional therapies they haven't tried yet, instead of giving them a chance first.
Although I appreciate the author's efforts to reach people who have already been through treatments without success, someone who is new to dealing with OCD is better off starting with other approaches to see if they work. On this note, I felt that the author was overly dismissive of other books and resources about OCD, making it sound like none of them acknowledge the uniqueness and potential benefits of an OCD mind. I disagree. Even books that solely view OCD as a pathology still mention that OCD patients tend to be highly sensitive, creative, caring, morally driven people who can harness these strengths in their recovery process.
Overall, I found this book unique and interesting, and it was definitely worth reading and pondering. Parts of this book don't resonate with my experiences, and I can't speak to how helpful this would be for someone who hasn't found improvement through standard OCD treatments, but I would recommend this to people who would like to read a strengths-based book that helps them view OCD in a different way.
I received a temporary digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In my experience, my intrusive thoughts WERE random, meaningless garbage, and exposure therapy worked extremely well. Parts of this book seemed off-putting to me at first, since delving into my internal life and trying to psychoanalyze meaning behind my mental issues for years and years just made things worse. Still, I tried to read this with an open mind, knowing that it can be helpful for people with different OCD experiences.
The author incorporates personal stories, case studies about other people, information from the history of psychology, and various literary and pop culture references. The book offers lots of examples to relate to, and highlights ways that OCD may be a messenger or provide some kind of support, rather than just being a random intrusion. For example, someone who struggles to set boundaries may let their OCD speak for them, and may struggle to work through their OCD because they're dependent on being able to get out of things because of their OCD. Without digging further, someone may not be able to recover with standard therapies that ignore the deeper issues going on.
Each chapter includes reflection exercises and ideas for how to handle different things, with the hope that some of these different approaches and different ways of seeing things will help someone have a breakthrough in accepting themselves and making the most of their unique brain. The strengths-based approach will resonate with people who feel broken because of their OCD, but if someone is looking for a more targeted treatment plan, they need to know that this book is very meditative, broad, and general, focusing on big ideas and individual examples without diffusing everything into clear action steps.
I found this book interesting, but would mainly recommend it to people who are already very well-versed in OCD literature and have experience with it. Parts of this may be confusing to people who don't have a strong handle on the subject, and this book could also discourage people from pursuing traditional therapies they haven't tried yet, instead of giving them a chance first.
Although I appreciate the author's efforts to reach people who have already been through treatments without success, someone who is new to dealing with OCD is better off starting with other approaches to see if they work. On this note, I felt that the author was overly dismissive of other books and resources about OCD, making it sound like none of them acknowledge the uniqueness and potential benefits of an OCD mind. I disagree. Even books that solely view OCD as a pathology still mention that OCD patients tend to be highly sensitive, creative, caring, morally driven people who can harness these strengths in their recovery process.
Overall, I found this book unique and interesting, and it was definitely worth reading and pondering. Parts of this book don't resonate with my experiences, and I can't speak to how helpful this would be for someone who hasn't found improvement through standard OCD treatments, but I would recommend this to people who would like to read a strengths-based book that helps them view OCD in a different way.
I received a temporary digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2024
The book is truly a game changer and a must read for people suffering from OCD and anxiety.
It is the first book to take into account the emotional level, which is hardly taken into account by cognitive behavioral therapy. Exposure exercises for fears are undoubtedly an important aspect of therapy. Alcee agrees with that too. He just approaches the way the exposures are done differently. Better. He puts people and their emotions in the foreground.
It's finally about people, their living conditions and how they go about their everyday lives and challenges. However, these aspects are hardly taken into account by CBT. The exposures alone are all that mostly counts. I have to say that I am very happy that there is finally a book that pays attention to people themselves in their situation. In this way, healing can begin more fulfilling and complete and the exposures do not appear like torture, but as something that can be exciting.
The more you deal with your emotions and learn to deal with them and understand them, the more you recognize important messages in fear. It helps to live a more fulfilling life after the therapy has been successfully completed.
I see this book as an important support for CBT and hope that it will also find acceptance in the professional world.
It is the first book to take into account the emotional level, which is hardly taken into account by cognitive behavioral therapy. Exposure exercises for fears are undoubtedly an important aspect of therapy. Alcee agrees with that too. He just approaches the way the exposures are done differently. Better. He puts people and their emotions in the foreground.
It's finally about people, their living conditions and how they go about their everyday lives and challenges. However, these aspects are hardly taken into account by CBT. The exposures alone are all that mostly counts. I have to say that I am very happy that there is finally a book that pays attention to people themselves in their situation. In this way, healing can begin more fulfilling and complete and the exposures do not appear like torture, but as something that can be exciting.
The more you deal with your emotions and learn to deal with them and understand them, the more you recognize important messages in fear. It helps to live a more fulfilling life after the therapy has been successfully completed.
I see this book as an important support for CBT and hope that it will also find acceptance in the professional world.
September 7, 2024
I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As a therapist, I found this book intriguing and incredibly helpful in untangling the nuances behind OCD obsessions, rituals, and compulsions. Dr. Alcee offers a fun and unique view on OCD and understanding its "superpowers" to the person. This is a great reference for individuals coping with OCD themselves as well as therapists and offers both research and evidence-based practices to utilize as well as language that the layperson will understand and relate to. I actually contacted the author directly and told him about how using one of his techniques of recognizing the OCD as a "superpower" and recognizing how OCD thoughts help clients see the world differently, notice things others may not, and be more empathic towards others can be viewed as a strength and not just a curse to be banished actually helped me make a breakthrough with one of my own clients. The case studies also gave a unique view into how, as a therapist, I can help others untangle their own thoughts and anxieties. In closing, this book is an excellent reference source for therapists, family members or loved ones of those struggling with obsessions or compulsions, and individuals coping with OCD alike.
July 8, 2024
The subject of neurodiversity is one of the hottest topics out there these days. However, one category that often tends to get overlooked is OCD. Those with OCD know that there is so much more to it than the trivializing cliché of the neat-freak perfectionist and/or the excessive worrier. Having to continuously battle against obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors is painfully difficult and debilitating, as well as socially stigmatizing. But what if the negative and destructive traits typically associated with OCD could be redefined, reimagined, and repositioned as a superpower? In this groundbreaking new book by clinical psychologist Michael Alcee, the author normalizes and humanizes OCD so as to help those who suffer from this affliction to transform it from a source of suffering to a badge of honor and a source of strength. In short, The Upside of OCD helps to lift the cloud of negativity, allowing the sun to shine through, so as to equip and empower OCD sufferers to spread their wings and fly.
~Todd Cherches, CEO & Executive Coach at BigBlueGumball and author of VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life
~Todd Cherches, CEO & Executive Coach at BigBlueGumball and author of VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life
September 23, 2024
This book is a refreshing and inspiring take on the extraordinary lives of those who deal with OCD. As a therapist who has much experience with clients who battle OCD, I feel Dr. Alcee shares an enlightening perspective of the internal experience; I appreciate that the book focuses much less on pathology and more on growth and creativity. Shaping vulnerabilities into strengths can be a 'hard sell' in many cases, but this book achieves that with ease.
Dr. Alcee makes a strong argument for a fresh look--with great story telling--to reframe behaviors and thoughts previously characterized as problematic, unsightly, and undesired. The book offers an achievable path to the mastery of OCD with plenty of examples and detailed vignettes to help light the path to help readers move from anxiety, to feelings, to transformation. Scholarly, knowledgeable, and yet oh so relatable, Dr. Alcee is successful in his compassionate and holistic reframe on OCD. His contribution beautifully highlights the treasure, morality, and capacity of the OCD mind (and not just its limitations)! Worth the read, you won't regret it!
Dr. Alcee makes a strong argument for a fresh look--with great story telling--to reframe behaviors and thoughts previously characterized as problematic, unsightly, and undesired. The book offers an achievable path to the mastery of OCD with plenty of examples and detailed vignettes to help light the path to help readers move from anxiety, to feelings, to transformation. Scholarly, knowledgeable, and yet oh so relatable, Dr. Alcee is successful in his compassionate and holistic reframe on OCD. His contribution beautifully highlights the treasure, morality, and capacity of the OCD mind (and not just its limitations)! Worth the read, you won't regret it!
September 2, 2024
This delightful book frames living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in a way it always should have been - as part of the mosaic of a rich, whole person. In the process, it carries on the tradition of books such as Dr. Louis Bisch's 1936 classic "Be Glad You're Neurotic" (whose chapters have titles like "To Be Normal is Nothing to Brag About").
Author Michael Alcée's basic premise is that people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder have gifts as well as challenges as a result of this disorder - that it springs from depth and sensitivity that we should get in touch with, and that its puzzling symptoms often have messages and lessons behind them. As a psychotherapist with lived OCD experience, I have seen and experienced the same thing in my own practice: that we treat (and ARE) whole people with rich lives, and that real recovery involves embracing our true selves as well as mechanistically treating symptoms. As I often tell my own clients, "Stupid people don't get OCD." This book is a real treat for sufferers and clinicians alike.
Author Michael Alcée's basic premise is that people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder have gifts as well as challenges as a result of this disorder - that it springs from depth and sensitivity that we should get in touch with, and that its puzzling symptoms often have messages and lessons behind them. As a psychotherapist with lived OCD experience, I have seen and experienced the same thing in my own practice: that we treat (and ARE) whole people with rich lives, and that real recovery involves embracing our true selves as well as mechanistically treating symptoms. As I often tell my own clients, "Stupid people don't get OCD." This book is a real treat for sufferers and clinicians alike.
November 19, 2024
As someone with OCD, whose daughter has OCD and who works with adolescents with OCD, I feel like I can honestly say this is the first book of its kind! I love how it blended the science with the art; the therapy with the raw emotion. Dr. Alcee's book accomplished exactly what it sought out to do--to acknowledge the 'difficult' parts about OCD, but also claim (or reclaim) the beautiful parts that make the OCD brain so wonderfully unique. I was able to read this eARC but will purchase this hardcopy for my bookshelves so that others can enjoy the hope this book offers when they feel overwhelmed by flood that OCD can so often bring. Thank you to the author, publishing company and to Netgalley for this advanced e-copy. I was provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 16, 2024
I am an OCD specialist and tell my clients that I work with the best people in the world. They all tend to be highly intelligent, highly imaginative and have good hearts. They are intentional with all that they do, living life with strong sense of curiosity. They are creative and compassionate. This book highlights those strengths and how to recognize the upside of this horrific disorder. Learning how to harness their thoughts, rein them in, and repurpose them is the key to leading a very exciting and positive life. I appreciate Michael taking the opportunity to eloquently put this into a format that has not been done before. After my clients have a firm grip on managing their OCD, I will happily share this book with them to enhance the healing process.
December 25, 2024
I am happy I borrowed this from the library instead of purchasing it. I would say 2.5 stars. There were multiple mentions to how Freud founded the conversation about OCD - but that is not necessarily the case outside of the id, ego, and supergo. Focusing on modern influences about OCD discoveries should have been the main focus. The other gripe I had may be too nitpicky - but there was a plethora of metaphors and references to pop culture and I think that came from a place to relate to various groups at once. However, that drew me away from the conversation a bit.
I like that OCD is being brought into mainstream for discussions and focusing on managing our OCD, however, this could have been done more artistically.
I like that OCD is being brought into mainstream for discussions and focusing on managing our OCD, however, this could have been done more artistically.
April 5, 2025
As a lifelong OCD sufferer and full-time therapist, this book just wasn't it. I found it to be meandering and strange--using catchphrases like embracing the "wildness" of my OCD and encouraging a reframe of thought spiral to "virtuous circle" that felt trite and self-help-y in the worst kind of way. Of course I agree with the author's premise that folks with OCD are creative, empathic, and sensitive in ways that are a gift, but I don't think that was ever in question even with more manualized modalities like ERP/ACT. I'm not sure I left the book with any sort of actionable reframe I could offer my clients that wouldn't smack them in the face with hallmark catchphrases that would undermine the kind of pain they're in.
August 16, 2024
This book is a game changer for anyone with OCD who is ready to find peace within themselves. Being two yrs post-diagnosis and treatment I feel like I understand the fundamentals of recovery, but this book took me beyond that. After reading it, I find myself being grateful for my sensitivities and mindfully reconnecting with my art - something that OCD took from me. Reclaiming my creativity was a natural outcome of reading this book. Though ERP will always be part of me, I find it centering and motivating to remember the upside. This book requires an open mind and a level of readiness to fully appreciate, but I highly recommend it.
July 9, 2024
Rarely does one find a book that combines personal experience and professional wisdom in such an exquisitely written package. Dr. Alcee does just that and more by challenging conventional approaches to OCD with comforting compassion and grace for those who suffer. Sensitive readers will find soft places to linger and exciting ideas that inspire. I will recommend this book for years to come as a harbinger of hope and inspiration to anyone struggling with OCD.
September 17, 2024
Far from a trite treatise on what it means to have OCD, psychologist Michael Alcee offers a deeply wise and compassionate voice for people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Rather than simply seeing OCD as “sound and fury, signifying nothing,” Alcee explains that there is meaning to be found, hidden powers to reclaim. An indispensable book for anyone struggling with OCD, or who loves someone struggling with OCD.
Yael Schonbrun, PhD, author of Work, Parent, Thrive
Yael Schonbrun, PhD, author of Work, Parent, Thrive
October 23, 2024
Dr. Michael Alcee has brought an excellent and refreshing resource into the world for individuals with OCD and those who care about them. If you've felt constrained and limited by OCD symptoms, this is the book for you! Dr. Alcee combines compassion, personal stories, and evidence-based research to inspire hope and healing, offering a new perspective on OCD as a unique source of strength and wisdom.
September 21, 2024
Finally, a book that captures the brilliance of the OCD mind. Dr. Alcee provides a humorous, relatable, smart, and engaging must-read for those who suffer. This book will help so many harness the power of an often relentless and exhausting condition. I highly recommend it as a must-have complement to treatment!
Nicole Amoyal Pensak PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Author of RATTLED
Nicole Amoyal Pensak PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Author of RATTLED
September 22, 2024
Michael Alcee has a way of writing that makes OCD accessible in new ways to everyone. He's able to flip the script to make something some might see as negative a positive. I would highly recommend this book because you will learn more about OCD and have a new way of thinking about this often misunderstood diagnosis.
August 11, 2025
I wanted to learn more about OCD from this book. But it fell flat. I had trouble following much of what the author was saying, and it seemed like he was expansive in linking all pieces of ocd back to 'fear of death'. I made it through much of this book (even though many times I struggled to stay focused), then started skimming and then with less than 10 pages to go I gave up!!!
September 19, 2024
This book is a gamechanger for those of us helping others with OCD. It's thoughtful and inspiring, as well as informative and useful. It doesn't treat OCD as a disorder, but as a friend in need of love and support. Thank you Michael for this valuable read!
October 14, 2024
Read my full review here: https://barbaraclaypolewhite.com/2024...
September 2, 2024
This book provided me with a perspective of living with and treating OCD that is helpful when working with clients who are struggling with OCD. Would highly recommend!
September 8, 2024
I absolutely love the author’s approach and the ideas in the book. I really like that he calls out what’s so blatantly missing from ERP.
October 21, 2024
I found myself highlighting the entire book—that’s how much this book spoke to me. After a few months of applying its concepts, I’ve developed a better understanding of my OCD and am now moving toward greater acceptance. Highly impactful. 10/10 recommend.
July 12, 2025
Not what I was looking for. I don't really understand what he is trying to say. There was no real help for people with OCD.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews