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Pullingthetrigger® OCD, Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Related Depression: The Definitive Survival and Recovery Approach
From the heart and soul of lifelong mental health sufferer; Adam Shaw, combined with the expert mind of the talented and leading psychologist; Lauren Callaghan, this book is cohesively divided into two helpful parts. Detailed from the separate perspectives of a sufferer and a psychologist is an insight into mental health recovery that sufferers can really relate to.
In Part One we follow Adam's desperate lifelong struggle with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks and related depression, leading him to the brink of suicide. We witness his journey from the painful despair of a young man who never really understood the illness tormenting him. Meeting Lauren changed his world forever as she guided him on the road to recovery with a life free from mental health issues. Sufferers with any type of mental health condition will identify with Adam's suffering and the daily struggles he faced. Lauren's wisdom, expertise and compassionate approach led Adam to recovery and how she did this is captured perfectly as she provides valuable insight into why and how Adam struggled with his condition and what needed to be done to ensure his path to recovery and beyond.
Part Two is Pullingthetrigger(R), the definitive survival and recovery approach for OCD, anxiety, panic attacks and related depression. It is a unique, user-friendly self-help approach to support and guide mild, moderate and severe sufferers to a place called recovery and beyond.
In Part One we follow Adam's desperate lifelong struggle with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks and related depression, leading him to the brink of suicide. We witness his journey from the painful despair of a young man who never really understood the illness tormenting him. Meeting Lauren changed his world forever as she guided him on the road to recovery with a life free from mental health issues. Sufferers with any type of mental health condition will identify with Adam's suffering and the daily struggles he faced. Lauren's wisdom, expertise and compassionate approach led Adam to recovery and how she did this is captured perfectly as she provides valuable insight into why and how Adam struggled with his condition and what needed to be done to ensure his path to recovery and beyond.
Part Two is Pullingthetrigger(R), the definitive survival and recovery approach for OCD, anxiety, panic attacks and related depression. It is a unique, user-friendly self-help approach to support and guide mild, moderate and severe sufferers to a place called recovery and beyond.
272 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2016
18 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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June 22, 2025Key takeaways: When trying to do things (aka character is trying trying to do daily exercise to help depression) it is important to not see 10 percent or 5 percent or 0 percent enjoyment as a failure or get sad that it’s “not working. Sometimes it will sometimes it won’t but you’re building up your potential for future enjoyment through consistency. It is not a failure to just go through the motions because you are setting up your routine and keeping it in place to help you enjoy it in the future. It is never a “waste” to do a small thing to take care of your health - physical or mental. Take the pressure off for it to “feel good” or “fix” your mood.
1. Let the fear be there
Stop trying to check or seek reassurance.
Be willing to find out.”
🎯 2. Don’t avoid situations
• Go into situations where you fear losing control
• Anxiety will rise, but if you don’t give in to compulsions, it will eventually drop.
🧘 3. Use grounding skills, but don’t rely on them to eliminate fear
• Example: Notice 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you can touch.
• Use this to stay present, not as a way to “get rid of” fear.
⏳ 4. Ride the anxiety out without reacting
• Set a timer: “For 10 minutes, I will just feel this discomfort without doing anything.”
• You’re showing your brain there’s no actual emergency.
🧠 5. Call it what it is
• Label thoughts like: “That’s my OCD again,” or “There’s a fear story.”
• This creates distance between you and the fear.
💡 Reminders
• Compulsions feed the fear—let them go, even if it feels unbearable.
• Recovery means leaning into the fear—not proving it wrong, but learning you can live with it.
• You’re retraining your brain—give it time.
The goal is not to feel better—it’s to get better at feeling (i.e. tolerate discomfort without reacting).
“This isn’t dangerous—it’s just uncomfortable.”
For Depression:
• Low mood = false signal that nothing matters. Act as if things do anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🐥💖💖
• Use “behavioral activation”:
• Make a list of things that used to bring joy or meaning—even if you don’t feel like doing them.
• Start small: brush teeth, 5-minute walk, drink water, open a window.
• Don’t wait to feel better to act—acting will make you feel better (slowly, over time).
• Challenge hopeless thoughts with evidence from your past: “Have I felt this bad before and come through it?”
1. Let the fear be there
Stop trying to check or seek reassurance.
Be willing to find out.”
🎯 2. Don’t avoid situations
• Go into situations where you fear losing control
• Anxiety will rise, but if you don’t give in to compulsions, it will eventually drop.
🧘 3. Use grounding skills, but don’t rely on them to eliminate fear
• Example: Notice 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you can touch.
• Use this to stay present, not as a way to “get rid of” fear.
⏳ 4. Ride the anxiety out without reacting
• Set a timer: “For 10 minutes, I will just feel this discomfort without doing anything.”
• You’re showing your brain there’s no actual emergency.
🧠 5. Call it what it is
• Label thoughts like: “That’s my OCD again,” or “There’s a fear story.”
• This creates distance between you and the fear.
💡 Reminders
• Compulsions feed the fear—let them go, even if it feels unbearable.
• Recovery means leaning into the fear—not proving it wrong, but learning you can live with it.
• You’re retraining your brain—give it time.
The goal is not to feel better—it’s to get better at feeling (i.e. tolerate discomfort without reacting).
“This isn’t dangerous—it’s just uncomfortable.”
For Depression:
• Low mood = false signal that nothing matters. Act as if things do anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🐥💖💖
• Use “behavioral activation”:
• Make a list of things that used to bring joy or meaning—even if you don’t feel like doing them.
• Start small: brush teeth, 5-minute walk, drink water, open a window.
• Don’t wait to feel better to act—acting will make you feel better (slowly, over time).
• Challenge hopeless thoughts with evidence from your past: “Have I felt this bad before and come through it?”
April 12, 2017
Inside the mind of the sufferer
This is the first book I have found that goes into detail from the point of view of the sufferer. We read exactly what he was thinking and feeling for years before receiving successful treatment. Now I finally understand what my loved one has been going through.
This is the first book I have found that goes into detail from the point of view of the sufferer. We read exactly what he was thinking and feeling for years before receiving successful treatment. Now I finally understand what my loved one has been going through.
June 18, 2024
A beautifully written book, where Adam shared his personal experience with OCD, anxiety and panic attacks, while Lauren brought the psychological perspective of it. The book has storytelling, theory and practical tips and exercises that can be implemented. This book came as a confirmation of the best way to approach anxiety and related problems: with gentleness and acceltance.
November 26, 2020
The format and formula this book is presented in/with help readers, who might be in need of guidance as what the author and the clinician provide here.
May 13, 2024
My husband has OCD and he asked me to read this book to better understand where he’s coming from. It’s an illuminating read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews