"Pure O" OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

by Chad LeJeune PhD

Overview

Let go of the struggle and obsess less. With this unique guide, you’ll find the tools you need to get unstuck from obsessive thoughts, overcome fears, feel more grounded, and live a life that truly reflects your values. 

Pure obsessional obsessive-compulsive disorder, or “Pure O” OCD, is a subtype of OCD that is characterized by intrusive thoughts, images, or urges without any visible compulsive symptoms.  Instead, obsessive worry, regret, or uncertainty is accompanied by “hidden” compulsions like reassurance seeking, avoidance, or complex thought rituals. This can lead to decisions based on fears and compulsions rather than grounded in your values. The efforts to stop or change obsessive thoughts only leads to more anxiety and fear. So, how do you break this obsessive cycle?

Grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and written by a renowned ACT and anxiety expert, “Pure O” OCD explains the process of “cognitive fusion” that leads to obsessive thinking, and how efforts to avoid or control our thoughts reinforce the fusion in an unhelpful, positive feedback loop. Using the five skills in the book—labeling, letting go, acceptance, mindfulness, and proceeding with purpose—you’ll learn how to finally break free of the struggle, worrying, and avoidance that keeps you stuck.

With practice, you’ll find that you can change your relationship to anxiety and obsessive thoughts, responding with your own values-based choices, proceeding purposefully toward a life that reflects what matters most to you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781648480423
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	01/02/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	398,370
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Chad LeJeune, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, and professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco. He is a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. He has been a practitioner of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) since its inception in the early 1990s. He is author of The Worry Trap.

Chad LeJeune, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, and professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco. He is a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. He has been a practitioner of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) since its inception in the early 1990s. He is author of The Worry Trap.

Table of Contents

Introduction "Pure O" and Sticky Thoughts 1

Part 1 How Thoughts Get Sticky

Chapter 1 The Thing in the Bushes 16

Chapter 2 Stickiness and Suffering 28

Chapter 3 As Above, So Below 48

Chapter 4 The Arrow of Time 60

Chapter 5 Song of My Self 72

Part 2 Making Thoughts Less Sticky

Chapter 6 The Alarm Is Not the Fire 86

Chapter 7 The Opposite of Struggling 99

Chapter 8 Tilting Toward Acceptance 111

Chapter 9 Bringing in the World 128

Chapter 10 The Compass and the Barometer 147

Chapter 11 Unstuck 166

Acknowledgments 195

References 197

Editorial Reviews

With ‘Pure O’ OCD, LeJeune has given us an expert guide through the twists and turns of the obsessive mind, illuminating the way with an engrossing blend of evidence-based strategy and story. Highly recommended for those hoping to revolutionize their relationship to intrusive thoughts, and by doing so, to break free.”
—Sheva Rajaee, MFT, director of The Center for Anxiety and OCD, and author of Relationship OCD

Sheva Rajaee

In ‘Pure O’ OCD, Chad LeJeune tackles one of the most challenging forms of OCD. With his relatable and often humorous style, LeJeune offers a fresh and practical treatment guide by combining traditional exposure therapy with ACT. I have already added this book to my OCD toolbox, and will be encouraging many of my clients to do the same.”
—Scott M. Granet, LCSW, author of The Complete OCD Workbook

Scott M. Granet

LeJeune’s book stands out in bringing ACT to bear on the pure obsessions of OCD. With greater depth and clarity than others, he explains ‘cognitive fusion’ in this disorder, and develops the ideas of ‘magic’ and ‘time fusion.’ LeJeune shares pearls of wisdom in a highly engaging, readable, and practical manner.”
—Alan K. Louie, MD, professor, associate chair, and director of education in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine

Alan K. Louie

A must-read for those suffering from obsessions—the ‘sticky thoughts’ that plague people with OCD. LeJeune provides a much-needed guide for getting ‘unstuck’ from thoughts that feel terrifying or disgusting. His decades of experience shine through every page as he brilliantly describes and illustrates how to disentangle from thoughts themselves, and choose values-based activities over mental or physical rituals. A life-transforming book for sufferers, and an invaluable clinical resource!”
—Joan Davidson, PhD, cofounder and codirector of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy; and assistant clinical professor in the clinical science program at the University of California, Berkeley

Joan Davidson

When thinking about OCD, most people quickly think about germs, contamination, cleanliness, or orderliness. Yet for those suffering from OCD, there are so many ways in which their brain latches onto obsessions. ‘Pure O’ is the theme that captures those obsessions and compulsions that are invisible to the eyes of others, but highly distressing to the person having them. LeJeune will show you how to understand those sticky thoughts (through the characters Anthony, Sophie, and Lou), and how you can use ACT to tackle those particular OCD episodes through the five microskills embedded in the acronym: LLAMP. This is a must-read book for anyone dealing with OCD and thought-based compulsions in particular, and who wants to experience rich and fulfilling connections!”
—Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD, author of Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors and Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Patricia E. Zurita Ona

‘Pure O’ is getting more attention, finally, and Chad LeJeune’s book will be a part of the shift in understanding it. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) works for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) because it helps us create a new relationship with our thoughts, and the ability to unhook from the stickiness of them. LeJeune guides the reader through this process of defusing from the content of their thoughts, and toward a values-led life.”
—Stuart Ralph, counseling and psychotherapist for children and young people, and host of The OCD Stories podcast

Stuart Ralph

Some thoughts can become so sticky that they begin to run our lives: Thoughts about disgusting things; possible inadequacies; future losses or betrayals; harm to others. Often the mental adjustments we make to diminish them only make them more central—creating the neurobiological equivalent of ruts in a well-traveled dirt road. This book confronts that system head-on and provides an evidence-based pathway forward.

Don’t target the thoughts; target the stickiness. Step by step, this book teaches you how to do that, with creative exercises focused on five readily learned skills. If you are living inside this torment, this book will help show you how to take your life back. Sure-footed, kind, and very well written, you will know immediately that you are in the experienced hands of a world-class expert in ‘Pure O’ who can teach you life-changing skills. I can highly recommend it.”
—Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno; author of A Liberated Mind; and originator of ACT

Steven C. Hayes

A truly excellent guide to coping with and recovering from an often neglected type of OCD. Packed full of useful information, essential skills, and empowering strategies, this is not only a really useful self-help book, but also an invaluable resource for any therapist who works with OCD. Highly recommended!”
—Russ Harris, author of the million-copy best-seller, The Happiness Trap

Russ Harris