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If you want a clear, orderly path through OCD, this workbook lays one out in ten steps. Jonathan Abramowitz is a leading OCD researcher, and it shows in how carefully the program is built. 
What this book is about
Abramowitz turns cognitive behavioral therapy for OCD into a ten-step self-help program. You learn how the disorder works, examine your own symptoms, and then move through exposure and response prevention, the treatment with the strongest research behind it.
Who this book may help
It fits well if you:
- Want a structured, step-by-step program to follow in order
- Like to understand the science before you start the exercises
- Are motivated to face fears and hold back the rituals
- Want printable worksheets you can reuse as you go
Key tools in the book
You’ll analyze your obsessions and compulsions, learn to spot the thinking traps that feed them, and build a personalized plan of exposures. The later steps focus on confronting thoughts and situations directly and on staying well once you’ve made progress.
Clinical strengths
This is a rigorous, current program from an expert who studies OCD for a living. The ten-step structure keeps you oriented, and the second edition folds in newer strategies for coping with thoughts that can’t be fully erased. Downloadable tools make it easy to work.
Limitations
The exposure work is effective but genuinely hard, and going it alone isn’t right for everyone. Severe OCD, or obsessions that center on frightening themes, deserves a clinician’s guidance. Think of this as a serious tool that often works best with support.
My recommendation
I recommend this for people who want a well-mapped program and are ready to do the work. Combined with OCD therapy, the steps can be paced so the harder exposures don’t overwhelm you. Follow the order, use the worksheets, and lean on help when a step feels too big to face solo.
View Getting Over OCD on Amazon
This review is for general education and isn’t a substitute for professional care. If you’re struggling, a licensed mental health professional can help you find the right next step.
Dr. Joseph S. Weiss is a psychologist in Seattle, WA. He works with people dealing with anxiety, OCD, panic, insomnia, and phobias, drawing on CBT, EMDR, and other approaches with strong research behind them. He thinks of anxiety as a solvable problem.
