Breaking the Rules of OCD: Find Lasting Freedom from the Unwanted Thoughts, Rituals, and Compulsions That Rule Your Life

by Kim Rockwell-Evans

It’s time to break the rules of OCD—and take charge of your life! If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may feel like you have to follow a rigid set of rules to successfully get through your day. And if you’re like many others, your OCD rule list may look something like   These rules can keep you feeling stuck, anxious, and unable to move forward in your life. The good news is there are tools you can use to free yourself from these self-imposed rules—so you can start living a more expansive and flexible life. This book will help you break ALL your OCD rules, and will help you understand why that’s a good thing. Written by an OCD expert, and grounded in evidence-based exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), this book addresses the seven most common rules that people with OCD create for themselves, and shows you how to break each one—so you can find freedom from the repetitive thoughts, compulsions, and shame they generate. You’ll learn to embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, stop avoiding the things that make you uneasy, and start recognizing your anxiety for what it is—a false alarm system. With practice, you’ll be able to move beyond your OCD symptoms and behaviors, and start thinking more flexibly. If you’re ready to toss the OCD rulebook aside and start living with more freedom than ever before, this book can help you, step by step.

Genres: Self Help, Psychology

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I've struggled with OCD-style habits.

I didn't even know what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was until I saw the episode of Oprah where Marc Summers--host of Nickelodeon shows such as Double Dare and What Would You Do?--"came out" about his OCD. My mom said I had it, but I just brushed her off; when Mr. Summers talked about how he couldn't keep his house clean enough, I knew that was so not me. Seriously, my sister and I got into a lot of arguments about how dirty my bedroom was, and I never could seem to keep it clean; even when I did clean it, all it took was two days for it to be just like it was previously.

Some years later, Monk started airing; my mom and I watched it together, as we're longtime fans of light-hearted mysteries. The character of Adrian Monk reminded me of myself; Tony Shalhoub's masterful portrayal of the "defective detective" showed many traits I'd noticed in my daily life. I still enjoy Monk to this day; it may hit close to home, but, not in a bad way.

A year or two ago, my mom commented on my television watching habits; she said that they were OCD, and that they reminded her of some character on a Hallmark Channel telefilm she had recently watched. When I saw this book at the library at which I work recently, I knew I had to read it; some of my obsessive habits were wrecking my life, and had been for a while.

After reading this, I'm inspired to be less rigid about things; if it's not important, just go with the flow. That's why I've decided that, when it comes to my television watching, instead of sticking with a strict schedule, just watch what I can, when I can. After all, it's not right to focus on only a few shows while all of my other TV DVDs, streaming shows, and Apple TV season sets collect dust. Also, I did away with the need for utmost perfection in everything. Just yesterday, I printed something for a children's Bible class my mom teaches; after the two copies came out of the printer, I noticed that some text was slightly clipped. Instead of reprinting it and wasting both ink and paper, I just did an Elsa and let it go. Here's hoping those are first steps in ridding myself completely of OCD-style behavior.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I've had OCD for as long as I can remember, have been on meds for years, and have been through a few years on therapy. As I result, I feel at least mildly qualified to review this book.

It definitely echoes a lot of what I heard/worked on therapy (which is a good thing), and there's some parts that were still relevant and helpful despite how much time I've put into managing my OCD. It's very up to date, which is always important for medical books, and it's clear the author is knowledgeable and passionate about helping people with OCD. I also really appreciate how frank and honest she was about sexual and violent intrusive/obsessive thoughts, because there is a lot of shame (and a feeling of inability to tell anyone) around those kinds of thoughts, so just putting it out there so people know they're not alone is valuable. The examples in general resonated with me and felt like realistic portrayals of OCD. I also liked that she called out how poorly OCD is stereotyped in the media.

I do wish the section about co-morbidities and how they may impact your ability to work on your OCD was a little bit longer, since it IS so common for people to be dealing with other mental illnesses. I also think a little more could have been said in general with managing your OCD when there's a lot of (often uncontrollable) outside factors impacting your well-being.

Overall, I think if you can't afford therapy, this book would be a really helpful place to start if you want to tackle your OCD and learn to live with it. If you are in therapy, it would be handy to have as a reference book, and you could do some of the exercises with your therapist, which I think would benefit a lot of people as well. And finally, if you don't have OCD and you're curious about it because it impacts a loved one of yours, this is a great insight into the myriad of ways OCD can impact someone's life.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about living with OCD is written in a very conversational style, and it explains complex concepts in simple ways, without bogging down in scientific details that may not appeal to the average reader. The author covers a wide variety of different sub-types, which I appreciated, and in addition to addressing particular therapies that work well with OCD, she also wrote topical chapters about specific struggles that people with OCD usually have, such as believing that they have to be certain about things, or that you have to pay attention to and analyze every thought you have.

The author includes case studies and examples throughout the book about people with different types of OCD, but these are just illustrations. I appreciate that instead of taking a deep dive into individual stories and drawing implications from them, she focuses on broad themes and experiences that are common across OCD types, and just uses specific examples to illustrate how someone can deal with this. Overall, I thought this book was clear and helpful, and I would recommend it to people who are suffering from OCD, and to their support systems. This book's conversational style and accessibility will make it especially helpful for people who are new to learning about OCD.

I received a PDF from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Regan Paulsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a therapist specializing in OCD treatment and a sufferer myself, I have read many books on this topic. This may be one of the most thorough and well organized titles of the bunch! Rockwell-Evans does a fantastic job balancing the use of narrative examples, clinical information, and practical exercises. I particularly appreciate that the tone of this book is one of compassion and understanding which can be so important when the voice of OCD is so shaming.

This read will be relevant for sufferers, clinicians, and loved ones alike. I will be adding it to my regular recommendation list for clients looking to better understand the tricks our brains can play on us.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. It speaks to the reader as an actual human being, unlike many other books on OCD that I have read. As someone who has suffered with OCD for over 20 years, I am well aware that there is no quick fix to this mental health condition and this book really helps the reader to understand that too! It is about "practicing more flexible responses" to OCD rather than miraculously getting rid of it.

I will be purchasing this book upon its release and also suggesting it to others who I know live with OCD too.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of non-fiction books in the name of learning and frequently can’t wait to put them down.

This book was written in such a conversational way I actually found myself caught up in what I was reading.

And learning-wise boy did I learn a lot. The author does a great job of spelling out the many forms of OCD in a way that anyone can understand and making the book easily digestible.

[Emma Denbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ this book had good practices and exercises, but i felt like only a few related to my OCD problems. if you have sever OCD, i think this would be a good book for you. i have more of a perfectionism OCD and there was only one chapter based on that and a few more other chapters i felt like i benefited from.

[Shan O’Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know you have OCD when it takes you 6 months to read this very short book because you hate how it calls you out every chapter. My dislike was so so many examples- chapters felt a bit redundant. However, it hit right on the mark on the script ocd writes and framed what I learn in counseling in a new way. Appreciated this. Hate mental illness. Bleh!

[Brenna Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found it very helpful. I received this as an advanced reader copy, so there were a few typos, but I am sure they are fixed now. As someone who struggles with OCD, this book helped me to learn new tips and tricks for overcoming obsessive thoughts and compulsions. It covers a wide range of the different types of OCD, and I believe it would be beneficial to anyone struggling.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!!

[Taylor McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a therapist, I found this book to be very practical and useful! It was recommended to me by another practitioner and I am so grateful! The author even includes worksheets online for free from the book so you can have multiple copies!

[mlem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serendipitous that I finished this on the same day i reached 6 month erp treatment and my YBOCS officially has gone from a 32 to a 26 to an 18!!! I could cry. I will cry. Beautiful audiobook with lots of examples, nuanced, forgiving. Exceptionally thorough. Do the freaking work!!!!!!

[talia ♡]

thank you very much to netgalley for the arc.

i really hope this book helps me personally as well.

[Sydney Losey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive. Has some good tips in here but there’s nothing inherently new about this

[Molly Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful information, insights and advice from a professional who has dedicated decades of her life to specializing in OCD and its many manifestations.

[Kayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic exercises and explanations to the madness.

[Julie Ringrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for people taking ERP therapy for OCD. Chapters zero-in on different OCD beliefs and explains specific ERP activities to take to overcome them.