Books for Prep | |
 - Compassionate, accurate, practical, and liberating insight into a painful and un(der)recognized condition.The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts, breaks tremendous ground with those of us who have suffered at one time another with what Dr. Lee Baer refers to as 'Obsessive Bad Thoughts'. Some have objected to the use of the term 'bad thoughts' as judgemental of OCD sufferers, or their intelligence. I don't find this to be true, though, as Baer uses the term to refer to images and feelings that the perceiver him/herself is disturbed by (as well as the feeling of -being- disturbed), so in essence it's no more judgemental to call them bad thoughts than say someone has 'bad feelings' when they sprain an ankle. The book is a very powerful first step for people who suffer from thoughts; be they violent, sexual, blasphemous, or otherwise directly in opposition to their own personal taboos. Baer explains in scientifically validated yet easilly accessible language that sufferers of this problem are not criminal or amoral, as they may fear themselves to be 'deep down', nor are they alone. This very reveal can be liberating for someone who has suffered in silence and isolation, feeling unable to talk about their afflicting thoughts for fear of being looked at as insane or treated as a pariah. Baer explains that the very act of trying to suppress thoughts that are taboo is what reinforces them and causes them to develop into obsessions in the first place. He uses many case examples of patients he has worked with in the past, as well as data collected from large surveys to show that not only is this phenomenon widespread and common, but that sufferers are NOT the things they obsess and fear themselves to be and that those fears run the gambit of all extremes, from worrying about bestiality to becoming a serial killer! I find this book to be extremely poignant, accessible, and supported by legitimate science. In today's society, where we are constantly exposed to fictionalized violence in the form of horror films and real-life violence from the news media, with no light shined on conditions such as those dealt with in the book, it can cause sufferers of 'bad thoughts' to feel increasingly worried and even paranoid about their own thoughts and behaviors. This book will liberate people from those most crushing and debilitating personal fears, and open the door to new methods of treatment and ways to improve quality of life. That being said, it is clearly a 'first aid kit' in the sense of the above. The actual portion of the book given over to treatment is relatively small and fleeting, such that people who have already 'crossed that hurdle' may find little new here. For more familiarity with the condition, though, and in particular to people still suffering under their own stigma from intrusive thoughts, I -highly- recommend it. Reading this book was a turning point for me, personally, in the treatment of my OCD. Rating:  - From one mind to anotherAs a person who suffers from OCD I can honestly say this book was extremely informative. To go from thinking your the only one with bad thoughts to realizing that you are clearly not alone means a great deal. I receommend this book to anyone who has to deal with these thoughts or wants to understand someone with them. The author describes the thoughts in such a way that I could never really explain to anyone what was going on inside my head. On a practical level the book does a good job of explaining various techniques for dealing with the thoughts, including exposure therapy and the use of medication. It talks about utilizing some of the techniques for yourself and goes step by step which is very helpful...however it also reccomends therapy if the techniques do not work or seem to drastic. I highly reccomend this book for those with these thoughts as well as those want to understand what these thoughts are about. Rating:  - Look elsewhere for helpThis book is not a self-help book, but purports to explain the disorder and give some info about treatments. There are better books out there that give info on OCD and give a self-help program, info on medications, and info on therapy. (Try books by Fred Penzel or Jonathan Grayson.)I was particularly bothered by 2 things: 1. The author refers to obsessions as "bad thoughts" throughout the book. OCD is a medical condition and obsessions are symptoms - the "bad thoughts" term has connotations that in effect are a judgement on the sufferer (as if OCD people need more guilt. 2. The author presents the disease as confined to obsessions that are violent or disturbing (hence the "bad thoughts" label), ignoring or glossing over those relating to excessive responsiblity, etc. So a complete picture is not given. There are better resources out there. Pass this one up. Rating: - Great tool...This is the first and only book that I have found that actually deals with obsessive negative bad thoughts. Most of the OCD books that I have found deal with compulsions and rituals and hit very lightly on obsessive negative thoughts. Great book that offers lots of good strategies for dealing with obsessive negative thoughts. Rating: - A real help.I initially borrowed this book from the library, but I found it so resourceful that I had to buy it. It is a great tool in dealing with my OCD. My therapist and I are using some of his tools in therapy. It has been a real help! In association with Amazon.com | |