Mindfulness OCD Workbook: Effective Mindfulness Strategies to Help You Manage Intrusive Thoughts (Paperback)

Description

---

Managing OCD with mindfulness—break the cycle of intrusive thoughts and live more peacefully

People living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) struggle with unwanted intrusive thoughts and urges that cause anxiety and distress. This mindfulness workbook teaches techniques to help you acknowledge those thoughts and relate to the physical symptoms of anxiety in a new way.

With this interactive mindfulness workbook, you’ll find exercises to help ground yourself in the present moment, plan mindfulness-based exposure to your triggers, and explore more productive language to describe how you feel. You’ll learn how to disengage from distressing thoughts—which can help calm the urge to engage in compulsive behavior.

This mindfulness workbook features:

• 7 Pillars of mindfulness—Every chapter focuses on one of the pillars of mindfulness: Beginner’s Mind, Non-judgment, Acceptance, Patience, Trust, Non-striving, and Letting Go—with specific exercises for working on each one.
• 10-20 Minutes per day—These mindfulness workbook exercises only take a short time, so it’s easy and practical to build them into your life.
• Encouragement and guidance—With supportive words, helpful advice, and space for personal reflection, you’ll gradually move through techniques for a variety of intrusive thoughts.

Find relief from the intrusive thoughts and urges of OCD with a simple and effective mindfulness workbook.

About the Author

---

"
ROBIN TAYLOR KIRK, LMFT, has been in the mental health field for 25 years and specializes in the treatment of many anxiety disorders. She developed Sage Anxiety Treatment Program, the first Intensive Outpatient Program in the United States to offer strictly ACT-based Exposure Response Prevention Therapy.
"

SARAH FADER is the co-founder of Stigma Fighters, a non-profit organization that encourages individuals with mental illness to share their personal stories. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, and more.

Praise For…

---

“Written by a gifted, caring clinician and mental health advocate who has OCD, this book walks through mindfulness skills in a careful, step-by-step way that will never overwhelm the reader or abandon them in confusion. Mindfulness is not so much a way out of OCD as a way forward—and this book lights the way. Highly recommended.” —Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, and Founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

“The Mindfulness OCD Workbook is the missing piece of many OCD intervention books: the concept of acceptance of yourself and your thoughts is all over the book. The book walks you through different definitions, starting with the basics but then goes into very easy-to-do exercises. The accompanying stories are just the right length to show why the exercise may be helpful, and the compassionate layout of the book makes the reader feel understood. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to be more present and kind in their thoughts, and I will use this with clients suffering from OCD to help them feel understood and validated.” —Lynn Zakeri, LCSW

“This book is a must-have for anyone serious about reclaiming their life from OCD. Robin Kirk and Sarah Fader have produced a workbook that is both enlightening and approachable. Unlike many resources that set readers against their own thoughts and feelings, this book helps readers learn to stop fighting with anxiety so that they can live a more meaningful life. With compassion and down-to-earth language, the authors walk readers from the very basics of OCD to advanced concepts. The exercises contained at the end of each chapter empower readers to make value-driven choices and break the hold of OCD. I am happy to recommend this resource to friends, family, and those with whom I work professionally.” —Mark Ettensohn, Psy.D.

“The Mindfulness OCD Workbook is an incredibly accessible and practical skill-building resource for those suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The book is written in a very non-judgmental and accepting tone with the reader in mind, as Robin Kirk and Sarah Fader model the very skills they are intending to teach. Following an overview of OCD and the primary evidence-based treatment approaches available, from which the authors draw strategies and techniques, the subsequent chapters comprise seven facets of mindfulness conveyed in a simple, well-organized manner. Each chapter includes a proposed skill-building challenge; common obsessions for which the skill can address; a brief case vignette; various meditative, experiential, and/or written exercises for readers to apply on their own; and encouraging words/affirmations. The exercises are designed to address and transform the effects of unwanted intrusive thoughts while undermining the avoidance-based repertoires that often have a narrowing and debilitating impact on one’s life. I highly recommend this workbook for anyone struggling with obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behavior.” —Lou Lasprugato, MFT, peer-reviewed ACT trainer

“The Mindfulness OCD Workbook is a beautiful, clear guide to applying the age-old practices of Buddhism—without any religious trappings—to the suffering of obsessive-compulsive disorder. There is suffering in all of our lives; it is unavoidable. OCD is a specific kind of suffering. This heartfelt book allows the practices that have been known to relieve suffering to be specifically available to those suffering from OCD. Deep gratitude to Robin and Sarah for this contribution to the care and treatment of OCD.” —Augusta Hopkins, Meditation/Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher and Community Dharma Leader

“Kirk and Fader have contributed a useful and compassionate guide to coping with intrusive thoughts. The Mindfulness OCD Workbook sparkles with kindness and clarity. Each readable section builds on the next, teaching us how to grow skills we need to drop the struggle with intrusive thoughts and anxiety. Easy to pick up and hard to put down, this book is a welcome companion for people struggling with OCD.” —Judith Hill-Weld, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

“This workbook is a true present (that is, gift) to the OCD community because it offers the present (that is, the here-and-now) to anyone with OCD. And what a gift that is for those of us living with a disorder marked by pervasive fears about what might have happened in the past and what could happen in the future. By infusing proven anxiety treatment strategies with established mindfulness techniques, Robin Taylor Kirk and Sarah Fader have given us a simple but powerful framework for reclaiming what OCD all too often pilfers: the very moments in which we are truly present!” —Jeff Bell, author of When in Doubt, Make Belief

“This workbook is a great introduction to mindfulness for people experiencing intrusive thoughts as part of OCD. It is beautifully presented, with examples and exercises that can be personalized to the individual. Written by experienced mental health practitioners who practice mindfulness, one of whom has lived experience of OCD, there is an authentic connection to the reader. As a CBT therapist I would recommend this workbook to my clients to support the work we do in therapy. Equally, the book would work as a self-help guide.” —Dr Helen Moya, CBT

“Through this book, Robin and Sarah provide people struggling with OCD, as well as therapists, with an abundance of great mindfulness exercises and a very clear and easy-to-read theory behind it. A must-read for anyone interested in managing their OCD as well as practitioners.” —Ewelina Ahmed, Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and Founder of Fenix CBT Psychotherapy

“Robin Taylor Kirk and Sarah Fader's approach to managing the symptoms of OCD is one that is uniquely compassionate and empathetic. Through their combined experiences, they have thoughtfully crafted an invaluable resource for those who are looking to better navigate their own intrusive thoughts and gain better control over their compulsive behaviors.” —Pete Deegan, MSW

“Having worked with many patients struggling with OCD, I’ve seen firsthand the sustained benefits of committing to a regular mindfulness practice. However, the cultivation of mindfulness is often a neglected treatment option for those with this chronic and debilitating condition. Robin Kirk and Sarah Fader have heeded the call with the Mindfulness OCD Workbook. In this gem of a workbook, the reader will be introduced to mindfulness through fundamental knowledge, thoughtful metaphors, and plenty of simple, yet effective, experiential exercises. This book is a treasure for anyone with OCD interested in exploring mindfulness and experiencing its proven benefits.” —Rajan Gosain, MD