In the past four decades, new understanding of OCD has toppled pretty much everything we thought we knew. It’s neither rare, obvious, nor treatment resistant. By attending to the factors that maintain the symptoms (paradoxical effort, entanglement with content, avoidance, stickiness of the mind, and anxiety sensitivity)—and refraining from interpretation of meaning—recovery is attainable. Understanding how compulsion drives obsession down the rabbit hole, and recognizing hidden, subtle, and often valued cognitive compulsions is essential. You'll discover the new formulation of generalized anxiety disorder as essentially OCD-light as you explore:

• Why the diagnosis of “pure O” (obsessions without compulsions) is nonsensical
• Why interesting, well-meaning conversations can be harmful co-compulsion
• How some “coping skills” can make things worse and why attempts to correct irrational thinking backfire
• How to do inhibitory learning exposure and metacognitive interventions

Sally Winston, PsyD, has co-written 4 books, including Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts, Needing to Know for Sure, and Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety as well as the Psychology Today blog “Living with a Sticky Mind.”