The Upside of OCD: Flip the Script to Reclaim Your Life

by Michael Alcée

Overview

Many OCD sufferers fail to improve using the standard exposure-response prevention (ERP) treatment. But, as clinical psychologist Michael Alcée contends, it’s not the patients who are failing the treatment, but rather the treatment that is failing the patients.
Using vivid case examples, practical exercises, personal anecdotes, and inspiring stories, The Upside of OCD shows sufferers and therapists the creative powers that allow OCD sufferers to see the world with such unique depth, feeling, and intensity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538191101
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/19/2024
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael Alcée, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in Tarrytown, NY, and mental health educator at the Manhattan School of Music. He is the author of Therapeutic Improvisation: How to Stop Winging It and Own It as a Therapist and 2019 winner of the American Psychological Association’s Division 39 Schillinger Memorial Award. Alcée has been a TEDx speaker and organizer and regular contributor at Psychology Today along with contributions to NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times, among others.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Claiming The Hidden Upside
Chapter 1: OCD Reimagined
Chapter 2: Mapping the Heart of OCD
Chapter 3: All This Good Inside: Masterminding OCD
Chapter 4: OCD Does Your Dirty Work
Chapter 5: Caring for Your Wildness
Chapter 6: Making Meaning in the Face of Death
Chapter 7 Freeing the Muse Within the Critic
Chapter 8: Becoming Yourself With and Beyond Your OCD
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

If OCD impacts your life in some way, then this book is a must-read. Bringing together evidence-based research with impactful and often personal stories, Alceacute;e invites us to fundamentally rethink the nature and approaches to OCD. Everyone with OCD should have a wise, insightful champion like Alceacute;e.

Wendy K. Smith

Michael Alcee#39;s intriguing exploration of OCD#39;s gifts offers a new perspective on a disorder often simplistically treated as uniformly negative. The Upside of OCD is a provocative read in the best sense and a welcome addition to a growing literature on thriving in an age of flux and angst.

Maggie Jackson

Drawing upon his extensive clinical experience and scientific research as well as his musical creativity, Dr. Michael Alceacute;e has written a most unique and highly compelling re-examination of obsessive-compulsive disorder, exploring not only the burdens of this state of mind but, also, its potential benefits. A hugely clever reframing of this aspect of human psychology, I warmly recommend this book to fellow mental health professionals and, indeed, to all members of the general public!

Brett Kahr

Far from a trite treatise on what it means to have OCD, psychologist Michael Alceacute;e offers a deeply wise and compassionate voice for people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as for OCD, itself. Rather than simply seeing OCD as ldquo;sound and fury, signifying nothing,rdquo; Alceacute;e explains that there is meaning to be found, hidden powers to reclaim. An indispensable book for anyone struggling with OCD, or who loves someone struggling with OCD.

Yael Schonbrun

It#39;s about time somebody brought the human being back into OCD. In this readable and entertaining book, Michael Alceacute;e has put the suffering person at the center of the complex phenomenon we have simplistically reified as ldquo;OCD.rdquo; His chatty, personal writing style has a serious, scholarly intent. Pitched directly to sufferers, the book reframes, with creativity and verve, the nature, function, and meaning of their symptoms. I recommend it to anyone who has struggled with ruminative thoughts and mandatory actions and also to anyone interested in a refreshingly new exploration of obsessive and compulsive psychology.

Nancy McWilliams

This book is a love letter to OCD sufferers. Offering added depth to the exploration of the OCD experience, The Upside of OCD makes a great companion to evidence-based treatments like ACT and ERP.

Jill Stoddard

By penning this beautifully-written, entertaining book, Michael Alcee demonstrates his central premise—that those with OCD are particularly sensitive and talented and, if they befriend rather than battle with their OCD, it can be redirected toward wonderfully creative endeavors. That is, in writing this perspective-shifting book, he has done just that with his own OCD, and will help many change their relationship with their OCD when they realize that it is a protective part of them that can transform.

Richard Schwartz

This book does not glorify OCD. It gives a raw account of its pain and possibilities. Alcée encourages an integrative approach to OCD treatment with both relational and behavioral means as necessary. With sparkling but straightforward language, it is a book that individuals living with OCD, family members, and clinicians can all learn from. Practical exercises line the end of each chapter to assist readers in their journey.

Psychology Today

Alcée, a clinical psychologist, takes a glass-half-full approach to obsessive-compulsive disorder. He acknowledges the downsides, including worries, fears, and self-loathing, but says it’s possible to tap into the “hidden gold.” His goal is to help people name, tame, and claim their superpowers, especially creativity.… Alcée shares examples of obsessions people endure, encouraging readers to imagine what it's like to always worry about leaving the stove on and burning the house down. An unusual and compassionate look at this compulsive disorder.

Booklist

This book is a love letter to OCD sufferers. Offering added depth to the exploration of the OCD experience, The Upside of OCD makes a great companion to evidence-based treatments like ACT and ERP.

Kurt Newman