Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

This user-friendly workbook provides adults with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the tools they need to move beyond their disorder using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and it also serves as compact text for clinicians/practitioners to use with clients suffering from OCD at any point in treatment. The workbook offers readers hands-on ACT and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) skills for taming disturbing obsessions and filling the gap of where one stands and where one wants to go. Dr. Zurita provides evidence-based exercises to guide adults through the process of ACT. This includes learning to step back from one's thoughts and memories, opening up to all types of unwanted thoughts and feelings, paying attention to the physical world, observing one's thoughts and feelings, getting rid of barriers to values-based living, and developing consistent patterns of values-based behavior. Written from the office of a full-time therapist in a simple, uncomplicated, and unpretentious manner, this workbook will be useful for all clients suffering from OCD and for the therapists who work with them.

Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist specialized in working with children, adolescents, and adults struggling with OCD, anxiety, and emotion regulation problems. Dr. Z is the founder of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique therapy practice, where she runs an intensive outpatient program integrating ACT and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). She is also a fellow from the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), member of the OCD San Francisco Bay Area (affiliate from the International OCD Foundation), and a chair of the committee for the Anxiety and Depression American Association (ADAA). Dr Z gave a TEDX talk titled 'Stop Playing-It-Safe and Start Living' at Gunn High School in 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gdXbMoTEZg.

Introduction; PART I Getting to Know Your Mind: A Pattern-Making Machine; 1 Obsessions Are the Norm!; 2 If Obsessions Are Normal, What About OCD?; 3 What Keeps OCD Going?; 4 Why Are Obsessions So Hard to Let Go Of?; 5 Are There Different Types of OCD?; PART II What Would ACT Do for You?; 6 What Is This Thing Called "ACT"?; 7 What About ACT and Exposure?; 8 What Lies Ahead?; PART III The Trilogy That Makes Your Life Miserable; 9 What Are the Compulsions You're Doing?; 10 Don't Forget About Avoidant Behaviors!; 11 Do You Know Your Ruling-Thoughts?; PART IV Facts and Fantasy About Getting Rid of Obsessions; 12 How Do Ruling-Thoughts, Compulsions and Avoidant Behaviors Work?; 13 How Are You Relating to Yourself These Days?; 14 What's Really in Your Control?; 15 What About Dropping Those "Getting Rid of Obsessions" Strategies?; PART V Learning to Date Your Mind; 16 Let Your Mind Do Its Own Minding; 17 Fall Out of Blind Love With Your Mind!; 18 Get Out of the Content of Your Mind!; 19 Stay "In the Moment," Not in Your Head!; 20 Keep in Mind the F of Thinking, Not What It Looks Like!; 21 Make Room for Disturbing Content in Your Mind!; 22 Watch Out for Fake-Acceptance!; 23 Hold Your Mind Lightly!; 24 Always Check What Works!; PART VI Shift, Shift, Shift . . . Shift Your Moves!; 25 Watching Your Mind; 26 Riding the Wave of Fear, Anxiety, and Terrible Feelings; 27 Acceptance Moves; 28 Keeping an Eye on Your Shift Moves!; PART VII Designing Your Life and Living Your Life; 29 Figuring Out What Matters; 30 Living Your HOWs; 31 Counting Your HOWs Moves; 32 Taking a Break; PART VIII Making W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S.; 33 Put Together Your Values-Guided Exposure Menu; 34 Make W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S. When Practicing Values-Guided Exposures; 35 Get Familiar With Different Types of Values-Guided Exposure Exercises; 36 Make the Best of Your Values-Guided Exposures; 37 Read About What You May Feel When Making W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S.; 38 Remove Your Compulsions From the Equation; 39 Track Your Planned W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S.; PART IX Unpacking Blocks for Making W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S.; 40 I Can't Do It: Reason-Giving Thoughts; 41 I Would Rather Be Safe: Values-Conflict or Fake-Value?; 42 Why Am I Doing This?: Lack of Values Clarity; 43 I'm Doing Hundreds of Exposures: New Compulsion?; PART X Moving Forward; 44 Make Mini W.I.S.E. M.O.V.E.S. On-the-Go; 45 Soften Up With Self-Compassion; 46 What Gets in Your Way of Being Kind to Yourself?; Self-Compassion Reflective Exercises; 48 Self-Compassion Exercises On-the-Run; 49 Life Is Imperfect!; 50 The Illusion of Control; 51 How to Handle Those Unexpected Moments; Departing Words; Appendices; About the Author; Bibliography; Index