The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts

Some of the contents of the book may be scary or triggering, but push through and read it and it WILL help you! Also a very educational book for those looking to learn about OCD and its deeper symptoms.

To help my son with anxiety

Some of this book was very interesting to me as I have suffered from obsessive thoughts. I don't know if I'll ever read it cover to cover as it is a bit too detailed and scientific for me. I don't mind a little science but a little goes a long way for me. But I love to learn new things, and I learned something I never knew before about obsessive thoughts. When a person is having obsessive thoughts, the frontal lobe of his/her brain is extremely active. On the contrary, the brain activity of a person about to commit a criminal act slows down. I've read quite a bit about the obsession component of OCD but never remember reading this before.However, the main thing I wanted to get from this book was the comforting feeling that I'm not alone. So I was very interested in the stories about people suffering from inappropriately violent, sexual, or blasphemous thoughts. Although these thoughts are largely in my past and I have learned from books and experience that they are harmless, it's always nice to read more about the problem and how others have been affected. I think that one of the most hideous aspects of a disorder can be that one feels so alone, so different from the rest of the human race. Just knowing that one shares a problem with many others is such a comfort. So I thank the author for doing victims of obsessive thoughts a great service.

When my daughter was 11, she suddenly started having bad thoughts. There was no warning, nothing. Overnight, she went from bubbly and full of life, to withdrawn and timid. After a little research, I realized that she was suffering from OCD intrusive thoughts. She didn't want to go to therapy of any sort. I didn't want her medicated. I bought this book to try and help me understand what she was going through. It did much more than that!I've read some of the bad reviews and it seems like the reviewers were looking for a "feel good" book. This book is not going to make you feel good. The techniques are no fun and can take hours a day to implement successfully. But after three months of using the techniques in this book my daughter was cured, back to her normal bubbly self. She's now 16 and thriving.This book will help you understand what's going on with the intrusive thoughts; and if you are serious about getting well this book will help, but you may need someone else to assist with implementing the techniques.

For years I'd been told to read The Imp of the Mind. I'm a psychologist who specializes in treating OCD so I'm always looking to deepen my own knowledge and provide good resources for the people I work with. My only regret is that I didn't read it sooner. Dr. Baer does an excellent job of clearly explaining unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions), normalizes their existence, provides tremendous empathy for those who struggle with them, and describing how appropriate treatment can provide a path to recovery. Definitely a must read book for anyone who wants to understand obsessive bad thoughts.

This is a great niche psychology book and a great resource/stepping stone for someone with OCD. Understand this book doesn’t sugarcoat anything and lays bare the process to recover from intrusive thoughts. It will not refrain from being blunt about the thoughts people have, but this is part of what makes it a great choice for someone far along enough (or desperate enough) to face your fears and learn more about your condition, or the condition of a patient, or friend.

A beginners guide for ERP tailored for OCD of the purely obsessional type. The author's writing style may strike you as too familiar, as if trying to make sure you do get the point that (1) you are not a freak or a "bad person" for having these horrible thoughts all day long, that everyone has them, the only difference apparently being that normal people don't think too much about them.(2) you must never try to suppress them, just become habituated to them until they stop disturbing you, so as to reach peace of mind.As to why do these thoughts appear, there is simply no answer (yet?).

Lee Baer hits the nail on the head with this book. It's so hard explaining to people about this disease. They automatically assume that OCD is a perfectionist disease, characterized by order and incessant hand-washing. It is, in fact, so much deeper than that. The thoughts that prompt the compulsions are the real culprits. For someone with OCD, all it takes is one fleeting disturbing thought. Like fuel to the flame, the cause and effect scenarios ensue. The merciless rumination of one solitary thought augmented by irrationality. Temporary relief is only found by a fruitless compulsion, hand-washing, checking, avoidance, etc. It is a vicious cycle and a daily struggle for those afflicted. Everyone should read this book to gain better perspective.

Imp of the mind touches close enough to feel understood, but does not dwell on the dark side of things. Plenty of understanding and helpful advice.

Amazing for me! Yes it has got some rather disturbing case here however we are all human and some intrusive thoughts are just part of our minds. Being someone that has always struggled with mental health and overthinking this book, even tho I haven’t finished yet, has helped me to overcome so much including intrusive thoughts for the most part and my anxiety. It has opened my eyes to the normality of my thoughts and feelings. I’ve always felt worried that I may just be odd for having the certain thoughts and feeling I experience Only to read this book and feel completely relieved and have a sense of calm within myself, which is something brand new to me! If you’re struggling with anything I’ve listed above, this book would be so good for you and could truly change your mind set into a more positive and enlightened one! To all those struggling I really hope you find this book! It works wonders!! ❤️❤️ Best wishes!!!

Must for pure o OCD,worth every penny,I would have given even more money if possible

I found this book disappointing. Virtually all of the information that is presented has been around for about 30 years so even someone who is only modestly informed about contemporary psychological practices is likely to be disappointed. The book is not particularly well written so even someone coming across this information for the first time could come away quite misinformed about current best practices. Of particular concern is the section on pharmaceutic interventions which is years out of date. The field of behavioural psychology and interventions continues to move at a rapid pace so anyone facing these sorts of problems or considering this type of treatment would, in my opinion, be well advised to seek more up to date information.

This book really helped me to take distance from my harm ocd. One of the best book i ever read.