Psychology

Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-29 10:56:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jeffrey M. Schwartz
  • ISBN：006256143X
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Summary

The 20th anniversary edition of the definitive classic on defeating obsessive-compulsive behavior， with all-new material from the author。

An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder （OCD） and live diminished lives in which they are compelled to obsess about something or to repeat a similar task over and over。 Traditionally， OCD has been treated with Prozac or similar drugs。 The problem with medication， aside from its cost， is that 30 percent of people treated don't respond to it， and when the pills stop， the symptoms invariably return。

In Brain Lock， Jeffrey M。 Schwartz， M。D。， presents a simple four-step method for overcoming OCD that is so effective， it's now used in academic treatment centers throughout the world。 Proven by brain-imaging tests to actually alter the brain's chemistry， this method doesn't rely on psychopharmaceuticals。 Instead， patients use cognitive self-therapy and behavior modification to develop new patterns of response to their obsessions。 In essence， they use the mind to fix the brain。

Using the real-life stories of actual patients， Brain Lock explains this revolutionary method and provides readers with the inspiration and tools to free themselves from their psychic prisons and regain control of their lives。

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Reviews

Paul Petsa ，

Could have been a little booklet rather than a book。Although I think it is commendable that the author has found a way to help those with OCD， this book was not a good read。 It was incredibly repetitive about the basic steps and with the case studies。 It was like a reading a long form blog post that had been padded out into a book。

Calla ，

ConsThis book is extremely repetitive with a lot of focus on case studies， but a lot of the case studies were indeed the same people。 I am all for motivating people with inspiration from others but this book over did it。 It was a bit hard for me to even finish the book， which is rare， but halfway through I was over， hearing about how other people prevailed by "applying the 4 steps"。 I also question the 4 steps and if you will get out of it what you think you will。 The individuals were also in th ConsThis book is extremely repetitive with a lot of focus on case studies， but a lot of the case studies were indeed the same people。 I am all for motivating people with inspiration from others but this book over did it。 It was a bit hard for me to even finish the book， which is rare， but halfway through I was over， hearing about how other people prevailed by "applying the 4 steps"。 I also question the 4 steps and if you will get out of it what you think you will。 The individuals were also in therapy and support groups so I am sure， much more than these 4 steps was being covered。 Overall to me the book seemed like it is trying to get you to be rational or reason with OCD， when in fact OCD cannot be reasoned with， by nature it is illogical。Some other caveats I had with the book are redirecting the behavior sounds a lot like avoidance。 Which one has to be careful about as it just becomes another compulsion。 Granted I do like the concept of doing something productive when you have a obsessional thought or compulsive urge。Repeatedly telling yourself its just OCD and you have a biological dysfunction also seems like it will lead to other ruminations。 For Example: It seems like it would be too easy for someone to start questioning if they indeed have OCD which occurs very often anyway。I think the helpfulness of this book depends on how severe your OCD is。 If you have severe OCD this book will not be useful， if your OCD is under control but you need a little motivation here and there this is a okay book， granted if your OCD is under control you may already have， coping mechanisms and do not need the book。 Definitely not a must have book or game changer。 Granted the book came out a while ago and more research has come to light about OCD in twenty years， the book could use some updating and revision。Pro'sIt is good too understand the mechanism of OCD， as someone with a degree in Psychology I really liked the breakdown given but feel it was a bit dense for the average lay person。I am happy that the author repeatedly tells you that you have to do the work， because confronting your worst fears everyday is a ton of work and there are no shortcuts。All in all，The book reads as if its advertising the 4 steps instead of getting you to complete the 4 steps completely。 So， is this book worth it？ Not to me， this is definitely not a must have book and in the world of OCD books there are much better ones available。 。。。more

Mahmoud Almasri ，

Highly highly recommended not only for for people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder， but for people struggling with controlling bad thoughts。it is also a way to feel with people who have OCD throughout reading their stories。 They are unbelievable。 The book in one sentence : "It’s not how you feel， but what you do that counts"。 In other words， do not wait to feel good to start your your actions; Instead take action and feelings will follow。 Highly highly recommended not only for for people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder， but for people struggling with controlling bad thoughts。it is also a way to feel with people who have OCD throughout reading their stories。 They are unbelievable。 The book in one sentence : "It’s not how you feel， but what you do that counts"。 In other words， do not wait to feel good to start your your actions; Instead take action and feelings will follow。 。。。more

Diane ，

Decided not to read。

Erica Richardson ，

I read chunks of this and it was so helpful！

Muhamed ，

This book is a comprehensive instruction on a technique for treating OCD。 The 4-step method is an addition to the standard Exposure Response Prevention method used for the treatment of OCD。 It empowers the person with OCD to follow the treatment on their own too。 Schwartz's successful experience in helping people with OCD reclaim the control of their life is a very heartwarming information for anyone dealing with this condition。 This book is a comprehensive instruction on a technique for treating OCD。 The 4-step method is an addition to the standard Exposure Response Prevention method used for the treatment of OCD。 It empowers the person with OCD to follow the treatment on their own too。 Schwartz's successful experience in helping people with OCD reclaim the control of their life is a very heartwarming information for anyone dealing with this condition。 。。。more

Christie McLaren ，

If you want to learn how to beat OCD， I’ll save you 200 pages of reading: go directly to the last chapter。 There were some interesting bits in the early chapters about book brain imaging in the normal brain vs。 OCD brain， along with research explaining how and why OCD exists in some individuals - but the middle 200 pages are nothing but an endless sea of redundancy and anecdotes about dozens of the author’s past patients and their experiences with debilitating OCD， which had nearly no relevance If you want to learn how to beat OCD， I’ll save you 200 pages of reading: go directly to the last chapter。 There were some interesting bits in the early chapters about book brain imaging in the normal brain vs。 OCD brain， along with research explaining how and why OCD exists in some individuals - but the middle 200 pages are nothing but an endless sea of redundancy and anecdotes about dozens of the author’s past patients and their experiences with debilitating OCD， which had nearly no relevance to my own journey with OCD。 I also wasn’t expecting the religious spin the authored put on OCD therapy， describing the process as a spiritual experience， with numerous references to God throughout。 I feel the author could have gone into more detail about how to practically use the refocus step in our busy everyday lives。 It’s not like I can just up and go for a run every time I have an intrusive thought。Overall， a good resource if you want practical， evidence-based guidance on how to self-treat OCD。 But the book on the whole was more of an advertisement about his patients’ success stories than it was a self-help book。 。。。more

NinaB ，

2。5*This was a book club read and I’m glad I read it。 I am usually the skeptic Christian who isn’t quick to label or accept psychological problems。 I think we are quick to excuse our sinful habits and behaviors as a mental issue， rather than something we are culpable of and responsible to change。This book， however， forced me look at certain mental problems as legitimate issues。 Because we live in a fallen world， it is very possible that this fallenness influences our brain functions， whether fro 2。5*This was a book club read and I’m glad I read it。 I am usually the skeptic Christian who isn’t quick to label or accept psychological problems。 I think we are quick to excuse our sinful habits and behaviors as a mental issue， rather than something we are culpable of and responsible to change。This book， however， forced me look at certain mental problems as legitimate issues。 Because we live in a fallen world， it is very possible that this fallenness influences our brain functions， whether from birth or bad habits。 This doesn’t remove culpability nor the responsibility to change， just as I was born proud and need to fight it as long as I live。 The reality， though， is there are people who struggle with nonsensical compulsions。 As a Christian， it is my duty to show love and compassion to them。 It’s good to be reminded of that again。I have to point out that it is important for the Christian struggling with OCD to evaluate Dr。 Schwartz’s methods with biblical lens。 I suggest that， in addition to the helpful tips to overcome obsessive compulsions outlined in this book， struggling Christians should seek out Dr。 Hodges seminar on the topic that you can find here: https://ibcd。org/thinking-biblically-。。。The reason I didn’t rate this higher is because it’s quite repetitive and I found his methodology， though may be helpful， lacking。 He put too much blame on the brain as if the OCD is caused by a deformed or malfunctioning brain only。 There has always been a debate when neuroscientists find a brain deformity among patients with “abnormal” behavior， whether the behavior is the cause or the result of the deformity or malfunction of the brain。 It is hard to know which came first。 However， our responsibility to change bad habits and to overcome sinful thinking still rely on us， whatever the cause。 As a Christian， I believe there isn’t going to be true healing and victory from OCD until one surrenders himself/herself to Christ and His power to change us from the inside out。 。。。more

Kara of BookishBytes ，

I read this from a point of curiosity rather than a point of need， but I enjoyed it。 Dr。 Schwartz explains that his prescribed method of managing OCD symptoms is to relabel them （realize that they are just thoughts and compulsions， not something that NEEDS to be acted on）， to reattribute them （that they are caused by a glitch in the brain， but they are just thoughts）， to refocus （on some other activity） and revalue （evaluate "how are you symptoms now？"）。 Over time， he says the compulsive thought I read this from a point of curiosity rather than a point of need， but I enjoyed it。 Dr。 Schwartz explains that his prescribed method of managing OCD symptoms is to relabel them （realize that they are just thoughts and compulsions， not something that NEEDS to be acted on）， to reattribute them （that they are caused by a glitch in the brain， but they are just thoughts）， to refocus （on some other activity） and revalue （evaluate "how are you symptoms now？"）。 Over time， he says the compulsive thoughts will decrease as we refocus and train our brains to accept the existence of these thoughts， while also not acting on them。This book felt pretty long to me， and it was mostly full of encouraging stories of patients who had overcome their debilitating compulsions。 Perhaps those repeated stories are helpful to readers who are seeking encouragement。 But for a more casually-interested reader， there's lots you can skip in this book。 。。。more

Win Htoo Shwe ，

I wish I could give more than 5 star rating。

Janine Spackman ，

Took me a little longer than I thought to read because it didn't always capture my interest but it definitely has some good information if you stick with it。 Took me a little longer than I thought to read because it didn't always capture my interest but it definitely has some good information if you stick with it。 。。。more

Duna Quasar ，

Highly recommend for anyone trying to make sense of OCD and general anxiety/panic disorders。

Edward ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 pdf

Kathleen ，

It’s amazing that this is the first book that comes up when researching OCD self help， or that people without OCD often feel qualified to recommend it。 When I first realized I had OCD last December， this was the first book I found。 And wow， did it feel like a miracle。 It promised to help me with just four steps， and as I read， included phrases like “It’s not me， it’s my OCD。” That was a relief at first。I quickly found myself unable to master this method。 Was I doing it wrong？ My thoughts weren’t It’s amazing that this is the first book that comes up when researching OCD self help， or that people without OCD often feel qualified to recommend it。 When I first realized I had OCD last December， this was the first book I found。 And wow， did it feel like a miracle。 It promised to help me with just four steps， and as I read， included phrases like “It’s not me， it’s my OCD。” That was a relief at first。I quickly found myself unable to master this method。 Was I doing it wrong？ My thoughts weren’t going away。 I kept at it， refocusing and combing it with bits of self-made exposure and response prevention therapy （the latter is the actual evidence-based treatment for OCD）。 Uh。。。it didn’t work。 OCD will turn anything into a compulsion - and chances are if saying， “It’s not me， it’s my OCD” makes you feel better， it’s a compulsion。 Eventually， like many people， I found myself saying: “What if it’s not my OCD？ What if it’s just me？” I got better through medication and ERP， after months of struggling alone。 Do that first， before you try this book。 In fact， skip this one altogether。 。。。more

Rebecca Wilson ，

Amazing life changing book and a great help with my OCD a friend leant me this just before I spent £900 on 12 weeks of privet therapy when I was very ill and had been on nhs waiting list for 3 years。 The therapist was amazing I couldn’t have asked for better I actually really enjoyed our time together and I would go back if I took a bad turn again but to be honest I pretty much learnt enough from this book。 It obviously hasn’t “cured” my OCD I’ll never be ‘cured’ but Iv honestly not been sufferi Amazing life changing book and a great help with my OCD a friend leant me this just before I spent £900 on 12 weeks of privet therapy when I was very ill and had been on nhs waiting list for 3 years。 The therapist was amazing I couldn’t have asked for better I actually really enjoyed our time together and I would go back if I took a bad turn again but to be honest I pretty much learnt enough from this book。 It obviously hasn’t “cured” my OCD I’ll never be ‘cured’ but Iv honestly not been suffering so I’d say between the book and therapy I’ve been living pretty much anxiety free （as anxiety free as as I think I’ll ever achieve） for over a year。 I now have this on Audible and re listen to it regularly。 I suffer from violent intrusive thoughts Pure ‘O’ and this book does not cover Pure ‘O’ but I do still find it a very beneficial read。 Some of my previous anxieties that now don’t bother me are holding sharp objects around my children， being a passenger in a car。 Carrying my kids up the stair。 Walking by any semi busy road。 Crossing roads。 Locking doors for intruders。 Thinking i may have put pets in washing machine， oven etc。 Getting husband to check I hadn’t killed the kids in my sleep or any intruders killed or taken them。 Terrified I may sleep walk and hurt my family even though Iv never sleep walked。 Scared to leave my children with family members incase they don’t take due care with my kids and mental flashes of awful things happening to my children。 Iv suffered quite badly since age 7-8 and had constant counselling since age 8 through to 16 when I was dropped by the NHS。 I never told a single person what was really in my head until I had my 1st child and was fearful I wasnt a fit mother。 For me not to feel mentally ill and afraid of myself is life changing。 If you are suffering from OCD read this book。 。。。more

Jade ，

Re-read this book for the third time and still find it to be one of the only self-help books that actually works。 Timeless and effective for OCD， anxiety， eating disorders and more。 Try it。 You won't regret it。 Re-read this book for the third time and still find it to be one of the only self-help books that actually works。 Timeless and effective for OCD， anxiety， eating disorders and more。 Try it。 You won't regret it。 。。。more

Kikizoshi ，

“How do I know whether I will or won’t do something terrible ？” - Relate to Kirillov？ A character with an obsession of a similar kind。 | Hold off acting on the thoughts in increments to get better - Act on the thoughts to incrementally get worse， or would it happen quickly？ | Impartial spectator and mindful awareness

Keith ，

Life changing。

Cristina Mazilu ，

Quick notes from the book: In this book， J。M。Schwartz talks about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and how it affects people's lives。 He starts off by saying that OCD affects more than 5 million people in the US alone。 He has taken his time to study the behavior of people who have OCD and ways to help them get a balanced life。 J。M。 Schwartz has come up with a 4 stage therapy plan which is supposed to help people with OCD lead a healthier and better life。 These steps are: relabel， reattribute， refoc Quick notes from the book: In this book， J。M。Schwartz talks about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and how it affects people's lives。 He starts off by saying that OCD affects more than 5 million people in the US alone。 He has taken his time to study the behavior of people who have OCD and ways to help them get a balanced life。 J。M。 Schwartz has come up with a 4 stage therapy plan which is supposed to help people with OCD lead a healthier and better life。 These steps are: relabel， reattribute， refocus and revalue。 。。。 。。。more

Stefu Smith ，

A great resource to anyone who suffers from OCD or knows someone who does。 Also applies to certain other mental health challenges such as addiction。

Kaila ，

Kind of dry but gave me some really helpful techniques for dealing with some of my OCD tendencies！ First book I read on #75hard！！

Avishay Kadouri ，

Amazing book！ It gives great insights about OCD and teach you the four step method to a manage your OCD and control it。 It works and it scientifically proved that it helps to change the chemistry of the brain for the better （OCD caused of imbalance chemistry in the brain）。 The four step method can be used to change behaviors and other disorders。 I highly recommend on this book。

Vamil Kumar ，

Listened to the Audio version of the book

JoAnne ，

I hope this book is helpful for those who need it， it just didn’t apply to me。-when habits turn into all-consuming rituals-OCD is related to a biochemical inbalance in the brain-the inability to discard something because it "may be needed sometime"-stress commonly heightens OCD anxieties。 Page 9-it is certainty possible that a person’s life experience plays a role。。。 Page 27-parents of people with OCD were rigid and inflexible and became very uncomfortable if things weren’t done in a certain way I hope this book is helpful for those who need it， it just didn’t apply to me。-when habits turn into all-consuming rituals-OCD is related to a biochemical inbalance in the brain-the inability to discard something because it "may be needed sometime"-stress commonly heightens OCD anxieties。 Page 9-it is certainty possible that a person’s life experience plays a role。。。 Page 27-parents of people with OCD were rigid and inflexible and became very uncomfortable if things weren’t done in a certain way。 Page 31-stress exacerbates OCD symptoms。 Page 45-OCD =Obsessive thoughts Compulsive urges。 Page 50-the Impartial Spectator is a moment in which an unwholesome thought cannot arise。 Page 125-OCD always involves the family。 Page 181 。。。more

Steph ，

Good advice in the technical sense but so patronising and impractical in the real world。 I was so annoyed that I wrote an article in response that ended up as this personal essay， published in a local literary journal: https://bentstreet。net/steph-amir-cas。。。 Good advice in the technical sense but so patronising and impractical in the real world。 I was so annoyed that I wrote an article in response that ended up as this personal essay， published in a local literary journal: https://bentstreet。net/steph-amir-cas。。。 。。。more

Chaya ，

Felt very repetitive。

Chuck Siragusa ，

I really hope my friend reads this！

Landon ，

Schwartz offers an excellent 'teach yourself' course on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessional-Compulsion based OCD。 However， I have two grave concerns with the book:-The 4 step program （specifically step 3） is inherently designed only to remedy Obsession-Compulsion based OCD， where there is an obsession followed by a corresponding compulsive urge。 The book and the 4 step program offers absolutely no remedy for Purely Obsessional OCD， also called Pure O。 Inexplicably， Schwartz has omitted Schwartz offers an excellent 'teach yourself' course on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessional-Compulsion based OCD。 However， I have two grave concerns with the book:-The 4 step program （specifically step 3） is inherently designed only to remedy Obsession-Compulsion based OCD， where there is an obsession followed by a corresponding compulsive urge。 The book and the 4 step program offers absolutely no remedy for Purely Obsessional OCD， also called Pure O。 Inexplicably， Schwartz has omitted to offer any attempt at a solution for， let alone even discuss， Purely Obsessional based OCD symptoms。 I am truly shocked given Schwartz' position as a leading researcher in this field， and this being the leading book on this topic。 In this sense， I would consider this book to be an incomplete material for OCD treatment。 -To further this， if a suffer of Purely Obsessional OCD were to implement the four-step program， I would argue that Step 3 could possibly exacerbate the purely obsessional symptoms that they experience。 Of course， in cases of Pure O， avoidance of the obsessional thought will only lead to increased anxiety with OCD strengthening its grip on you。 By adopting what is essentially a 'distract myself from my OCD' mentality that is recommended by Step 3， it creates the possibility of increasing the strength of the Pure O symptoms。 To illustrate this， consider an individual with sexual based Pure O， where they have repetitive intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature about family members。 There is no corresponding compulsions in this case， just an intrusive， obsessional thought。 The patient follows step 3 and attempts to distract themselves from their intrusive thoughts。 This， of course， is a recipe for disaster and will only lead to increased symptoms。I would thus argue that the book is not only incomplete， but also may be dangerous if the approach recommended by Step-3 is adopted by someone with Purely Obsessional OCD。Despite my above concerns， I believe the book is an excellent source regarding Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for obsessions with corresponding compulsions。 I give it four stars given its utility for Obsession-Compulsion based OCD treatment。 。。。more

Nicholas Maulucci ，

Go down deep into the human psyche。

Ivy Markwell ，

The book has a lot of helpful information on how to “retrain” your brain by using the 4 steps （Relabel， Reattribute， Refocus， Revalue）。 It also has anecdotes from many of the people Schwartz has actually treated which were both interesting and reassuring to read about。However the book is very repetitive and can be a little hard to read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0