The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD

Despite the fact that OCD can have a devastating impact on a person’s life, getting effective help can be a challenge.  Studies have found that the average person with OCD suffers over 14 years before finding effective treatment.

Yet, research has repeatedly and consistently found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to be incredibly effective for OCD.  Furthermore, over the past 15 years, developments in the field of psychology have led to new, even more effective treatments that integrate CBT with traditional principles of “mindfulness”.

This so-call “third wave” of Mindfulness-Based CBT (MBCBT) includes techniques and strategies that have been proven to be particularly effective in treating the unwanted thoughts, feelings, and sensations that are at the heart of OCD and related anxiety disorders.

The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD is the first book to focus exclusively on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the treatment of OCD.  Using a workbook format, it provides readers with easy-to-implement tools and techniques to conquer their OCD.  This landmark book covers all major sub-types of OCD, including:

• Contamination OCD
• Harm OCD
• Gay OCD / HOCD
• Pedophile OCD
• Relationship OCD
• Scrupulosity (Religious OCD)
• Sensorimotor OCD

If you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or if you are a mental health provider who treats those with OCD, The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD will provide you with valuable insights and practical, concrete tools to defeat OCD.

You can click here to read an excerpt of the book that discusses Relationship OCD (ROCD), a relatively unknown form of OCD that doesn’t often get discussed in the media.  You can read about the book on Amazon as well.

What People are Saying About the Mindfulness Workbook

“As someone who has benefitted greatly from both cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness practice, I am thrilled to see a book showcasing how powerful their pairing can be for those of us with OCD.  The practical roadmap Jon Hershfield and Tom Corboy provide here offers turn-by-turn directions to the one place OCD simply can’t survive: the present moment!”

—Jeff Bell, author of Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of OCD

“A valuable addition to the self-help library of all OCD sufferers, as well as those who treat OCD! The book presents state-of-the art information for incorporating very effective mindfulness techniques into effective OCD treatment.”

—Lee Baer, PhD, clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, and author of Getting Control and The Imp of the Mind

“The concept of mindfulness is proving to be an increasingly important concept in dealing with a number of disorders, and this book ably extends it to OCD. It presents a concise and practical approach to this topic, with straightforward easy-to-follow instructions. The skills readers will gain from learning to be fully in the present moment and accepting what is occurring there will surely add a great deal to their efforts at overcoming what is a confusing and painful disorder.”

—Fred Penzel, PhD, psychologist and executive director at Western Suffolk Psychological Services, Huntington, NY, and author of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: A Complete Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well

“Although mindfulness plays a critical role in coping with the uncertainties of OCD, practical how-to help for sufferers and clinicians wasn’t there. Hershfield and Corboy’s workbook masterfully fills this void with details of how to employ mindfulness techniques for all the different ways OCD manifests itself.”

—Jonathan Grayson, PhD, director of the Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Philadelphia, and author of Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

“This is a wonderful and very well-written book, full of lively and helpful examples. It will be a huge help to those with OCD and related illnesses. The book gives very useful and practical tools to manage the symptoms of OCD. This is a major contribution that will help patients immensely.”

—Michael A. Jenike, MD, Chairman of the International OCD Foundation Scientific Advisory Panel, Founder of the OCD Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

“This is the most comprehensive, straight forward, easy-to-follow treatment manual combining CBT and mindfulness-based techniques. For those who may not have access to treatment providers, The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD will be an excellent resource to help guide and navigate how to overcome their obsessions and compulsions in a succinct, clear manner. By far, the best addition to my resource library and referral list.”

— Robin Zasio, PsyD, LCSW, author of The Hoarder in You and featured doctor on the television show, Hoarders

“The authors have succeeded in providing a practical roadmap for people struggling with OCD to incorporate mindfulness into their CBT treatment. For many, this will be the addition that makes all the difference.”

—Diane Davey, RN, MBA, program director, OCD Institute

“The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD is a unique must-have companion to enhance the standard application of ERP treatment for both therapists and individuals living with OCD. The authors’ compassion is evident throughout, and reflects a deep understanding of the suffering that OCD imposes every day. Chapter by chapter, the authors demystify the concepts of mindfulness in a very user-friendly manner. The workbook-style approach allows the reader to mindfully examine the ways in which OCD has formed its hold, and provides concrete exercises for loosening that hold and regaining a life and identity free from OCD. I am excited to recommend this book to my clients and colleagues alike.”

—Kathleen M. Rupertus, PsyD, clinician, The Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Delaware, and author of Loving Someone with OCD: Help For You and Your Family

Jon Hershfield, MFT, is a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder and related disorders using mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (MBCBT). He is also the associate director of the UCLA Child OCD Intensive Outpatient Program at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, moderator of a popular online discussion board devoted to fostering a better understanding of OCD with primarily mental rituals, a professional contributor to multiple online OCD forums, and a frequent presenter at the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation’s annual conference.

Tom Corboy, MFT, is the Executive Director of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, which he founded in 1999. He is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the treatment of OCD and related anxiety-based conditions. He received his master’s degree from the Department of Counseling Psychology at USC in 1993, where his graduate thesis was a study comparing various treatments of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Since then, much of his training and clinical work has been focused on the treatment of OCD and related OC Spectrum Disorders. In addition to his work with individual clients, he has trained and mentored many post-graduate interns, has presented at numerous conferences held by the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and has facilitated weekly therapy groups for adults with OCD since 1997.

About the OCD Center of Los Angeles

The OCD Center of Los Angeles is a private outpatient treatment center specializing in Mindfulness Based CBT for the treatment of OCD and related conditions. We have 13 therapists on staff, all of whom are either licensed or registered, and all of whom specialize in Mindfulness Based CBT.  We treat adults, adolescents, and children, and offer services six days a week, including evenings and Saturdays.

Our Southern California office is located in Brentwood.

If you would like more information about Mindfulness Based CBT, or would like to discuss treatment options at the OCD Center of Los Angeles, please call one of our client coordinators at (310) 824-5200 (ext. 4), or click here to email us.