“Pure O” OCD

This newest book by Dr. Chad LeJeune focuses on identifying and understanding the nature of obsessive thinking. Worry about the future, regret about the past, or questioning things in general is an unavoidable part of thinking. When the struggle to control or manage these thoughts leads to replaying and analyzing, avoiding taking action, or repeatedly seeking reassurance, it may comprise a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). “Pure O” is a subtype of OCD in which obsessive thoughts are the primary feature. The compulsive responses to these thoughts are either subtle (avoidance, looking for reassurance), or completely thought-based (replaying earlier events, internal “debates”).

“Pure O” OCD looks at how regular, ordinary anxious thoughts become obsessive, “sticky” thoughts through a process called cognitive fusion. Understanding this process is key to interrupting and changing your response to obsessive thoughts. The book revisits the five skills included in the LLAMP model, explaining how to use these skills in a flexible and fluid way to notice cognitive fusion when it is happening, to create space between yourself and your thoughts, and to tilt away from struggling to control them toward accepting that they are there. By fostering cognitive defusion, it is possible to make room for thoughts as “just thoughts”, allowing the energy wasted on struggling with them to be directed in new, more valuable, directions.

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“Pure O” OCD, published by New Harbinger Publications, can be found at Barnes & Noble and fine booksellers everywhere.

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