It helps the reader understand the brain functions related to OCD and how to deal with it.

I don't want to be misleading and say that this book completely "freed" me from OCD, but with meds and the behavioral therapies described in this book, I am SIGNIFICANTLY better than I was even a mere 6 months ago. What I found most helpful about this book was really the simple steps that it lays out to help slowly ease yourself out of the obsessive thoughts or rituals. It's not an overnight fix by any means, but for those who suffer from the disorder, it's incredibly helpful. My favorite line in the book (which the author's used quite often as a slogan) is "It's not me - it's my OCD!" Immediately by making the realization that the thoughts are due to this disorder called OCD and not based on reality, they begin to diminish. With time, they'll begin to disappear.

As a therapist treating OCD, I use the book with my patient. We both love the simplicity of the writing and the explanations. Great book! The chapter on the family living with a loved one with OCD is excellent as well.

A really clear layman's view of OCD and other neurological issues. I found it very helpful

This book provided my son with the hope and steps he needed to be healed of OCD. We read others, but it was simple enough for this 6th grader to understand with the consistant help of his parents. We practiced each step until there were no more symptoms. Our healthy, bright, social boy was back. It took several months. We were very thankful.

After years of psychotherapy and countless medication changes I found it a losing battle that seemed to have no end. My psychiatrist had moved out of town and I was assigned a new psychiatrist. At our first meeting she suggested I sounded like I had OCD. Being that everyone claims to have OCD I was initially thinking "oh great another meaningless diagnosis". She then referred me to a specialist that treats OCD. The specialist recommended this book to me along with the OCD Workbook.

As soon as I opened this book up I saw that 99% of my problem was in-fact OCD. I have what is called "Pure-O". It means that all of the compulsions and obsessions go on in my head. I dont need to constantly touch things or do rituals other than ones I do in my head like saying repeated mantras.

This simple fact freed me from many of my outlandish obsessions almost immediately! The more subtle ones, however do persist. Realizing that OCD is a physiological and not just a psychological disorder is also empowering.

This book gives 4 simple to understand and perform new rituals that in time actually rewire the brain to some extent. I may never be totally free from OCD, but I will be able to better manage its ravaging nature, and to me makes this one of the best books I have ever read.

Please all of you suffers with OCD read the book Brain Lock and practice the 4 steps. I have suffered with OCD for 30 years. This self help book actually will help you change your brain chemistry. Look, OCD is the great doubting disease. I used to doubt everything about myself.But after I read this book I over came much of the doubt. If your thinking about going on disability because its hard to keep a job then get this book. It was my last chance. This guy Schartwz should be the talking head for OCD. He is one person that when I see God, i will tell God thankyou for giving me Dr. Schwartz.

This is one of several recent good books on OCD. Incidentally they all seem to think the disorder is new to psychiatry and complain of patients having previously been misdiagnosed and mistreated, I think Foa and Foa's book is about the best in general as a self-help book. This is very well written, with Beverly Beyette named as a ghost. There are very long and detailed case histories, which are intensely readable just as stories. Schwartz emphasizes the possibility of an organic etiology. The explanation of brain imaging is especially lucid and I found itmore understandable than the original journal articles. It is the only OCD book with an extended discussion of the role of the family as enablers, and I will be recommending it especially to patents' families. There are no references to Internet or NIMH information recources

Is easy to read and understand---difficult subject. Have passed the book on to friends with family members with OCD. Always a good sign when a book gets passed on.

This book saved my life. The principles explained here, properly understood and applied, will lead you down the path of recovery from ocd.
You must fully and deeply understand what Dr. Schwartz is saying! A cursory read is not enough. I would highly recommend his audio cd from 2001 entitled "progressive mindfulness" to go along with this book.
As a lifelong sufferer of ocd, this book unlocked the door and my brain.
Thank you Dr. Schwartz!

Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior
We purchased this book to assist a friend who is very debilitated by the effects of OCD. The book takes a detailed look at what is happening, research into the causes and a system for reducing the effects of OCD, all interlaced with case studies illustrating the differing courses the illness takes. The system advocated is based on considerable research and portrays positive ways forward for people who may otherwise find it almost impossible. The pages contain essential information for those affected directly, family members, carers and professionals which can be accessed quckly.

Reading this book has confirmed to me that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is certainly the best way to reduce the obsessions and compulsions associated with OCD. As a sufferer for many years I found this book to be very helpful and although it may not be a quick-fix it has definitely helped me and has made me more open to the prospect of engaging in CBT with a trained therapist. My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that I would have valued more case studies that described more examples of how someone sufferes from OCD as I could not really relate to the case studies mentioned, however this is just a personal issue and many readers will be able to relate to the given examples.

If you have OCD, this is one of the best self help books out there.

The author is Psychiatrist who has great insight into dynamics of OCD. He explains in great detail about biological aspect of OCD. He accurately points out that brain signals are hoax and ignoring them is way to overcome OCD. He proposes 4 steps to do this which are based on Buddhist mindfulness. This is where the treatment is erroneous. Although most people know that OCD signals are irrational, at the peak time of OCD ritualization, the suffer can't distinguish between what is real or not. Reassuring the brain that the signal is wrong and should be ignored actually re-inforces OCD brain. The recovery comes when one accepts that the signal is valid yet refuse to do the compulsion. (Eg- Yes the door may not be locked and house will be stolen tonight but I won't check the door).
It seems schwartz treatment aspect is misleading although he may be good intentioned. He seems to have gained popularity by being a consultant to 'Aviator' movie. Again this is due to his brilliant insight into nature of disorder not the treatment aspect of it.
The best technique to overcome OCD is ERP using behavioural approach. Mindfulness works for mild OCD cases and in maintenance phases.

As with a review I wrote for a purchase for my OCD nephew, I am told by my sister (his mom) that this is helping with his therapy sessions.

My husband read this book a year ago and found it helpful for understanding a dear relative. I'm reading the book now and found there are many insights into OCD. As well as understanding other people, I'm finding out a little about myself and how to balance out some of my own behaviors. The book is based on the behavior therapy used by professionals with adults at UCLA. There are some wonderful success stories as well as accounts of people who had extreme compulsions/obsessions. Definitely a readable classic on the subject for any layman.

Thanks, Dr. Schwartz. God must have sent you to help. It works! I read his other book "The Mind and the Brain" which shows how he treated OCD clients and the scientific explanation and evidence of the results. I makes sense so I bought this book to try.

I'm with pure-o OCD and have taken medication for some three years. Those pills have only lessened my symptoms, made it easier for me to fall a sleep but the obsessions and compulsions are still there.

Because the type of OCD I have tried ERP but found it very difficult to practice since most the obsessions and compulsions happen inside my brain.(Hidden rituals) I'm glad to know that using my own will power I'm able to fight OCD and change my brain chemistry. With ERP you expose yourself in front of the fearful state of mind and passively wait til the anxiety level subsides. But using Dr. Schwartz's 4Rs: Relabel, Reattribute, Refocus, and Revalue, you actively use your mental power to clarify those OCD thoughts and work around them. It's a willfully happy consequence.

"The struggle is not to make them(obsessive thoughts) disappear but not to give in to them." the book says. I now know those thoughts wouldn't be gone in a short period but I can see them clearly as what they really are and my mind are less likely to give in to the false messages from the brain.(OCD is a brain problem: malfunction of the brain circuitry). This book tells you exactly what OCD is and how to tackle them with proper techniques. Several iconic clients' successful stories are also covered.

In my own case sometimes I still struggle with it because it requires strong will power to make a difference. Active mindful awareness is required. But I'm no longer frequently frightened by the obsessions and am able to stop the compulsions quickly. "In order to fight OCD you have to be stronger than it." the author suggests. If the author's treatment results(brain chemistry changed) and quantum theory* (explained in "The Mind and the Brain") is true, I'm on the right path to recovery.

*In short, because the narrowness of the brain circuit, it fits the quantum theory. When the obsessions occur, whether you're going to do the compulsions or trying another healthy behavior or thought(Refocus) is uncertain. But we can reduce the possibility of intensifying the OCD route while you think them as unimportant and refuse to be passively influenced. Gradually the healthy route will be activated more frequently. (I'm not a physicist so I just say according to my understanding.)

Recommended by a doctor--has helped a family member tremendously. Highly recommend it for all types of OCD.

Recommended by a doctor--has helped a family member tremendously. Highly recommend it for all types of OCD.

The steps outlined by Schwartz are highly useful. This is not a clinical book, but certainly one with great value to the general populace.

The steps outlined by Schwartz are highly useful. This is not a clinical book, but certainly one with great value to the general populace.

I don't normally write reviews, but I feel really strongly about this one. I have "pure o" OCD which is harder to treat because there are no compulsions. Even so, this book (along with an amazing therapist) really saved me. Every night when I would lay there panicking about the terrible fears in my head, reading this book always helped me feel better (at the very least, it distracted me as is explained in the 4 steps). I wish I could give it more than 5 stars because it has such an amazingly positive impact on my mental health. After 5 years of living a much improved life by this system, I would highly recommend this to anyone with anxiety.

Another note to anyone recently diagnosed... Cognitive behavioral therapy is a good thing to look for in a therapist. I made the mistake of not asking when I first started with a new one and quickly realized that it terribly exacerbated my condition to see someone that just wanted to dig deep into the content of my OCD and why I would "want" these bad things to happen. Of course, I did not want them - I feared them. I just hope to help someone else before they fall into the same situation.

I don't normally write reviews, but I feel really strongly about this one. I have "pure o" OCD which is harder to treat because there are no compulsions. Even so, this book (along with an amazing therapist) really saved me. Every night when I would lay there panicking about the terrible fears in my head, reading this book always helped me feel better (at the very least, it distracted me as is explained in the 4 steps). I wish I could give it more than 5 stars because it has such an amazingly positive impact on my mental health. After 5 years of living a much improved life by this system, I would highly recommend this to anyone with anxiety.

Another note to anyone recently diagnosed... Cognitive behavioral therapy is a good thing to look for in a therapist. I made the mistake of not asking when I first started with a new one and quickly realized that it terribly exacerbated my condition to see someone that just wanted to dig deep into the content of my OCD and why I would "want" these bad things to happen. Of course, I did not want them - I feared them. I just hope to help someone else before they fall into the same situation.

This book teaches OCD sufferers four steps to use to control their disorder, starting with "relabeling" their fears and urges as just a symptom of a disorder, rather than "something real." By reading the case studies, I figured out that "relabeling" means telling yourself, "My urge to perform my compulsive ritual is not a supernatural omen that something terrible will happen if I don't perform the ritual; it's just a symptom of OCD." The author never actually explains this, however.

The technique described in this book may be quite useful for people who have the most common form of OCD - a fear that something terrible will happen if they don't perform some ritual. However, it's not really clear how to apply the techniques in this book to forms of OCD that don't involve a fear of some catastrophe. For example, the author never really says (or gives a good example of) how to apply relabeling to a tendency to horde objects, an urge to pull out one's hair, an irrational belief that one is ugly, etc, although he claims his techniques work for all of these problems. I suspect that these other forms of OCD need a completely different approach.

Worse, the author makes it sound as if beating OCD is relatively straightforward, and that if his technique doesn't work, it can only be because the patient didn't try hard enough. He seems unwilling to consider that his approach may not work for everyone, preferring to place the blame on his patients instead. For example, he describes one patient, Brian, who had an intense fear of contamination from battery acid. Brian would sneak to the scene of car accidents in the middle of the night to apply baking soda, which he felt would "neutralize" the contamination from a possible car battery leak. Most of the case histories in this book are success stories, but in Brian's case, treatment was a failure and his story is presented as a way of illustrating the toll that OCD can take on the patient's family. From reading the case history, it seems clear to me that Brian had not only OCD, but also a phobia of batteries. For example, he was terrified if he saw a battery. (Unlike, say, OCD sufferers who check and re-check their stoves but aren't terrified by seeing a stove.) Given that Brian had a phobia of batteries, it might have helped to add a treatment for the phobia (e.g., systematic desensitization) to the OCD treatment, but it appears that the author never tried this. Instead, he concludes that treatment failure was all Brian's fault, saying that Brian must not have been motivated to overcome his OCD, even though Brian said the OCD made him so miserable that he wanted to die.

Also, the author seems quite opposed to long-term drug treatment (he trivializes drug therapy as being like "water wings" for swimmers) but never gives a reason why. He also is critical of OCD sufferers who are willing to put up with some residual symptoms, even if those symptoms aren't interfering much with their lives. These seem to be moral judgments, with no acknowledgement that patients are entitled to choose what treatment works best for them.

In conclusion, this book will be helpful for some OCD sufferers, but it is marred by a tendency to overstate the patient population who can benefit from the author's techniques, and a tendency to blame patients who don't have complete success with the author's techniques.

I recommend this book to all of my patients who have symptoms of OCD. It is one of the most helpful books on the subject ever written.

I recommend this book to all of my patients who have symptoms of OCD. It is one of the most helpful books on the subject ever written.

Brain Lock is cited more frequently by some member of our OCD support group than any other. The simple formula beginning with, 'This is me, and this is my OCD' probably has helped more people than any other single thing in the field. It's a must read.

Marina Kushner
Author
The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do about It

I am a recovered from severe disabling OCD. When I first learned I had OCD 10 yrs ago, this was the first book on OCD I read and at the time I thought it was good & even tried practicing the first one or two R's. But, then I got into professional intensive treatment for my very severe, disabling OCD with the top CBT's & doctors, trained in the treatment of OCD in the country and I learned that ERP was the best treatment available for treating OCD (& OCD meds), not the 4 R's. The whole idea of OCD treatment is not to stop thinking about the OCD, but to exposure yourself to it, sit with it and resist doing the rituals. I found Schwartz's method tends to just replace a person's OCD symptoms with others. EX: By telling yourself, 'It's Not Me, It's My OCD', his first 'R', is just substituting one ritual with another. I have seen this happen first hand. There is a now a huge abundance of Excellent books on ERP, by all the top experts in the field, Jenike, Steketee, Baer, Grayson, Penzel, to name a few, all use ERP. I highly suggest reading about ERP so you will understand what it is and how and why it works, as well as visiting the OC Foundation website. It will help you do better in treatment.

When I first learned I had OCD 10 yrs ago, this was the first book on OCD I read and I thought it was good & even tried practicing the first one or two R's. But, then I got into intensive treatment for my very severe, disabling OCD with the top CBT's & doctors, trained in the treatment of OCD, in the country, and that treatment is ERP, the best treatment available for treating OCD (& OCD meds), not the 4 R's. The whole idea of OCD treatment is not to stop thinking about the OCD, but to exposure yourself to it, sit with it and resist doing the rituals. I found Schwartz's method tends to just replace a person's OCD symptoms with others. EX: By telling yourself, "It's Not Me, It's My OCD", his first "R", is just substituting one ritual with another. I have seen this happen first hand. There is a now a huge abundance of Excellent books on ERP, by all the top experts in the field, Jenike, Steketee, Baer, Grayson, to name a few. (You won't find them using Schwartz's method) I highly suggest reading about ERP so you will understand what it is and how it works as well as visiting the OC Foundation website. It will help you do better in treatment.

The major selling point of this book is completely overlooked. I have severe OCD, and to me, the real achievement here is that this theory of how OCD works in the brain--a Parkinson's-like interruption of the smooth flow of a behavioral circuit called the caudate nucleus, "fusing" with three other key brain circuits to produce a "boiling" brain--is probably accurate. Doctors will tell you that it's "just a theory," but it's a very, very good one. If you have OCD, and have given a lot of thought to how it might work, this will all ring true. The Four Steps have one inherent problem: You are still dealing with a mental process aware of itself, and sabotaging itself at every turn. But, the "escape hatch" there is the simple truth the book points out--logic (in anyone with OCD, especially those who study it via a book like this) is a powerful weapon against the obviously silly but often crushingly painful OCD impulses that flood the mind similarly to OCD's sister illness, Tourette's syndrome. Brain Lock is a masterpiece, written with compassion and strength. It is NOT a "feel good" read (Dr. Schwartz calls the condition "hell on earth" at one point), and it is as honest as a book promoting any kind of self-help could possibly be. Medication can only help with anxiety in general; fighting OCD's barrage upon clear mental concepts is in the hands of the person experiencing it. Brain Lock is a useful book, but its place in the annals of OCD may ultimately be secured by its amazing insights into just how the disease works physically in the brain. The "steps" have to be approached in an individual way, but this book is invaluable for finally showing the world what OCD may well be, and what a brave and terrible fight its sufferers wage on an hour-to-hour basis in their meditative and worry-filled lives.

Brain Lock is cited more frequently by some member of our OCD support group than any other. The simple formula beginning with, 'This is me, and this is my OCD' probably has helped more people than any other single thing in the field. It's a must read.
Overall, it's a great feel-good type of book. Just like my other book called "The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote it Deceive Us and What We Can Do About It. It's made me quit drinking caffeineated beverages when I realized all my health problems were stemming from it. Buy it now. It may save your life!

Brain Lock is a book for those that would like an overhead view of their disorder. It helped me feel a detachment from the disease, not so much by encouraging me to dissociate myself from it, but rather by describing it as part of my brain whose opinions I should feel free to ignore. With OCD, you know it isn't normal to think how you do, but you feel like there will be consequences if you ignore your compulsions or distract yourself from your obsessions. And so, we either perform our nonsensical tasks, or we spend countless hours and valuable brain cycles going through the many reasons NOT to perform said tasks.

One of the major revelations of Brain Lock is that BOTH of these responses play into the hands of the disorder. Either way, you are wasting your time and becoming unbelievably stressed out and not getting any closer to being rid of the problem. Only by looking at the thoughts as foreign and allowing yourself to move on to other business can you break yourself out of the cyclical thinking ("brain lock") that plagues us. I hope that you will find, as I have, that as the years progress, the brain lock subsides, and the real you emerges. It is not a cure, and there can be relapses. Despite this, it reminds me of exercising for years and getting injured. You are put out of your routine for a while, but once you are able to get back in the gym, you are not back where you were years ago. Your strength returns, and your progress resumes.

I have been a psychotherapist for over 20 years. Treating OCD is quite difficult. The book made it sound as if it is easily fixable. The author didn't include some of the most simple interventions. Someone with severe OCD may be discouraged and "a failure" after reading this book.
I was so hoping this would be a good adjunct to therapy, unfortunately, there was a paucity of behavioral techniques along with cognitive techniques that would help a patient. This might be somewhat helpful for people living with a person with OCD, however, it is not a good self help book.

To cut this review short, it works. The book will allow you to just go with the flow.

The basic premise of the book is to stop trying to stop thinking about something. When you allow yourself to think about something and you remember that it is not you that is the problem but is the ocd's problem.

Furthermore, one shouldn't buy too much into labeling oneself as having "ocd" or any other label such as "add". Realize that you are more than labels and that you are improving every day in every way.

I highly recommend this book for several reasons. It explains in simple language what OCD is and it's causes. I was amazed to understand after so many years exactly what this disorder is, and see how other people with their experiences outlined, that OCD sufferers share many common symptoms. The best part of this book is that it gives you real hope in combatting this disorder with practical steps, that TRULY work! I was sceptital at first before buying this book, but I'd recommend it to anyone who wants help. Don't let this disorder beat you, you can conquer it!

This is a great book, which is written in a clear and simple language, and which offers a message of hope. OCD sufferers and their helpers will find it very valuable reading. I was led to it through a recommendation in the book 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' by Frederick Toates and Olga Coschug-Toates. The latter offers the perspective of a psychologist/sufferer and makes a strong combination with 'Brain Lock'.

Helpful self-help program for persons with OCD written by one who has extensive medical experience treating OCD. The book, however, is poorly written, somewhat disorganized, repetitious and redundant.

My psychologist lent me a copy of this book...On my next visit he asked me about the book...I said it's a good book for people who do not have severe OCD, and he said some of his patients told him the samething...My doctor said that they have an idea on how to treat OCD, but science dosen't really have the answers yet...Treatment is almost nil when it comes to this disease...About all they can do is give us antidepressants that cause sexual side effects so we don't have crazzy offspring, and a small government check...I guess they feel a small check is cheeper then a mental institution...There is hope with this book, you must click you heels together, like Dorothy in OZ, and believe...The only hope we really have is to talk about OCD...I would love to hear from you at stylingtattoos at yahoo dot com...

This book is absolutely awesome! Do YOU get "STUCK"? If you have OCD at any level, this book is a Godsend for you. Trust me. It has helped me so immensely, I can't tell you! Read for yourself. I got the book and proceeded to read it right away. I had my highlighter handy to mark key points, and it has HELPED ME SO MUCH!!! WHOOO! I feel great! I will keep this copy like the Bible, and refer to it often in my life when I need a little reassurance, as we all do occasionally. It WILL change the way you think, and it will help you see that you're not ALONE in this. In fact, after you read some of the cases, you probably won't even feel half as bad. Please, read this book if you need any help with this matter. :o) I wouldn't lie to you!

If you have OCD this book is so helpful! It is also good for others too. It helps to put things in perspective, and I learned a lot from this book. I would even think someone with anxiety would benefit from reading this book and using it's step by step method.

Basically, for all practical purposes this book is worthless. But for inspiration and stories, it's not too bad. I have OCD (checking), and I've already tried the same suggestions the book offers before I even bought it. And as you might have guessed, they don't work. It tells you, in four steps, to simply tell yourself it's just OCD when you feel a obsession coming on, to think about how OCD works, distract yourself with another task and then go over in your head how stupid OCD is.

If you have OCD and are reading this, you've probably already come to the conclusion that this these steps won't work. We've tried telling ourselves hundreds of times -- as we've done them -- that our obsessiveness and compulsions are just medical conditions. We've tried to understand how OCD works, and we've tried to distract ourselves. What the author doesn't understand is that you can't just STOP giving into these obsessions and in turn performing a compulsion. It doesn't work that way. It NEVER works that way. In any case, doing what the author instructs will only make it worse. All you'd be doing is what you've been doing all along, and if that hasn't been working, this won't. But don't fret: If you have OCD, and are reading this, there is a way out. Basically, you fight fire with fire. Like any personality disorder or addiction, OCD was something that gradually got worse and worse until it was at the state that it's in. Therefore, you have to gradually act on your obsessions less and less. Telling yourself to only check or clean a few times is pretty easy and only takes a little bit of willpower compared to the seemingly impossible task of not doing it at all, which takes the bravery of a knight in shining armor, gleaming sword and all. And it works, too. It's amazing! I figured this out a couple of days ago and it's working already. I check something a few times, and then just walk away. I can tell my disorder is going away, too, because it's trying to take the form of another form of OCD: fear of hurting other people. But anyone who's had OCD and ocassionaly defeats a compulsion knows that another takes its place and with just a little willpower they can resist it.

In conclusion, buy this book only if you want some inspiration or are doing research on OCD for a class or something. If not, and you just want to plain old get rid of it, just take my advice.

This audiocassette saved my life! Well, sort of. Three years ago I experienced an especially painful & stressful bout with Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder (OCD). A loved one gave me the "Brain Lock" audio book, and helped put me on the road to recovery.

The authors have developed a simple yet ingenious "four step" routine to perform when obsessions or compulsions strike. First, recognize that the thoughts are OCD; second, re-attribute the thoughts to false impulses generated by the brain; third, refocus your behavior on any mildly productive activity; fourth, revalue OCD thoughts as "waste product" of the mind. Each of the four steps is discussed in detail, with just enough scientific background given to educate (without confusing) the listener. The routine sounds simple, but does take a while to master; it helps to listen to the tape two or three times through to reinforce the method.

Dr. Schwartz reads the book with a compassionate tone, and delivers the content in a personal and effective manner. (I also recommend the original book, which expands upon the content presented in the audio book).

OCD is serious business; I wouldn't recommend this tape as an alternative to professional treatment. But as a supplement to therapy, "Brain Lock" is invaluable.

Don't think about it! Just do it!

This book is wonderful. I seriously doubted that a book could help me with my OCD, but this one helped & I continue to make progress in my OCD. I have pure obsessions and panic. These four steps get your mind of the symptoms & help you realize that its just OCD, nothing else. My panic & worry began to lift after reading the first few chapters of this book. Great book!!

4/5/03 Book contains multiple examples of OCD;Its Forward(pg xi) uses an example of "the Howard Hughes "patron to the stars and his symptons manifesting as early as 1947 with his being overwhelmed by the disease by 1976.The book ends with its 4 step summation of self-help: 1. recognize the disease 2. realize its cause is a chemical imbalance 3.Refocus(do another behavior vs the OCD) 4. Do not take the OCD thought at face value as being significant in itself.

"Brain Lock" was recommended to me from my sister and I found it very helpful too. In the Intro, the author says that his 4 step method is useful for other bad habits too, such as nail biting and over-eating - you name it. Dr Schwartz gives several interesting real-life examples that help you to visualize how you can actually help yourself. It was very readable and easy to follow. So even if you are not suffering from the more extreme types of OCD, you can help yourself relabel the problem and refocus on other better things, and bring more happiness and peace into your life. I highly recommend this book.

As a sufferer of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I found "Brain Lock" to be extremely helpful in finding new ways to break the habits of OC behavior. My counselor Mark introduced me to the book. Not only is it a comfort to read (including some witty comic strips), but it doesn't stick to the standard and sometimes ineffective methods of curing OCD (i.e...just stop it). The book gives us examples of the many different kinds of these symptoms and in turn, shows us many ways to help ourselves. This workbook also has a subtle touch that challenges all those who claim OCD to be the "common cold" of psychiatry. I recommend "Brain Lock" to anyone with OCD, but also for those who are learning to become psychiatrists, counselors, etcetera.

I read Dr. Schwartz' book over 2 years ago while in the throes of a debilitating panic disorder fueled by OCD-like intrusive thoughts. Once the panic was under control (via meds) I started to search for a cognitive-behavioral treatment plan to control the obsessive thoughts. For years I tried to self-analyze the thoughts which amounted to pulling on one of those ropes which would further constrict the more you struggled. The panic disorder finally led me to a specialist who diagnosed both the panic and a mild form of OCD. I say mild since there are clearly OCD patients whose lives are extremely curtailed by the disorder such as incessant hand washing, fear of contamination, leaving the house, and so on. I'm fortunate not to suffer from this form of OCD, although I have experienced some agoraphobia, not uncommon with panic/OCD patients. As a result, I now understood that OCD (and panic) is nothing to be ashamed of and in fact is highly treatable due to recent, breakthrough advances in treating mental illness, medication being at the top of the list. Knowledge is power so no longer stigmatized, I was able to approach the problem as any other by looking for further research on treating the disorder and lucky for me, I came across the book "Brain Lock". "Brain Lock" demystifies OCD by attempting to explain the physiology behind the disorder. I am not medically trained but found the explanations plausible enough to continue on into the treatment phase. The most memorable, constantly reinforced phrase I recall from the book is that whenever you find yourself obsessing about an undesired thought, simply say to yourself "its not me its my OCD". Once that realization hits home, you shift ALL your focus to something else such as work, a good book, playing with your child, or anything activity that removes you from the obsessive "stuck in gear" pattern. It sounds simple but it DOES work. But you must work at it and the more acute the disorder the more difficult it is to shift control. That is where medication can be helpful as Dr. Schwartz points out. He doesn't really push meds put acknowledges it as a crutch to get the ball moving in the right direction. He claims that most, if not all his past patients at time of writing are off meds, using his 4-step, cognitive-behavioral process alone. That is remarkable! I have been on meds to control the panic but would probably go off it should the mild OCD be my only problem. Despite meds, I still run into occasional bouts with OCD but using Dr. Scwhartz's 4-step method, I am able to shift gears and move away from it quickly. As a result, I don't build up guilt and discomfort at having the thoughts in the first place since I don't give them time to fester as I had done in the past. "Its not me its my OCD". Again, Brain Lock is a great read for someone aware of having OCD and looking for a self-help method of controlling it.

This is a book about OCD. I suffered from OCD in the frame of other psychological problems, but it's straightforward Four-Step Self-Treatment always helps when you have an obsessive thought, being it a simple hassle or a more serious disease. I didn't read the whole book but it was enough to help me understand that compulsion is not the right answer to obsessive thought. And when an obsessive thought sometimes shows up again, I've got only to remember what I read in this book.

This text, written by a psychiatrist experienced in treatment and research on OCD, presents a fairly simple but effective approach to dealing with troubling symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He demystifies the nature and symptoms of the disorder and explains the interaction of the biological and behavioral elements of OCD.

His program focuses on empowering the individual with OCD so that he or she can take an active role in decreasing or eliminating obsessions and compulsions. I often recommend the book to adults and adolescents who have OCD. When a person with OCD is engaged in cognitive-behavioral therapy, treatment is more successful if the individual feels empowered and does "homework" outside of the therapy session. This book reinforces this process.

I find that many people just do not have the time or patience to read an entire book, even one as good as this one. I have recommended the abridged audiocassette to a number of people who otherwise might never have been exposed to these concepts. Most of us commute enough to finish this cassette in less than a week.