White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts - Book Review

In White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts, Daniel Wegner explores the topics of consciousness, obsession, suppression, and mental control. This is an insightful read for anyone interested in general psychology, not just those suffering from OCD or some other mental disorder (although I did find much of the material particularly applicable to OCD). If you’ve ever been plagued by a disturbing image, had trouble dieting, or even just had a song stuck in your head, this book has something to say to you.

The core of Wegner’s theory is that we are plagued by obsessive thoughts, that is, we have unwanted thoughts that keep coming back to us, because we actively try to suppress them. Attempting to suppress a thought actually increases the frequency with which it will reoccur later. Clearly this has a lot to do with what happens with OCD. The core of the disorder is that we get stuck on a thought (the obsessive part), primarily a disturbing or distressing one, and can’t get away from it no matter how hard we try (the compulsive part). But this is relevant for everyone. If you’ve ever tried to quit drinking or smoking, or even lose weight, you are familiar with this cycle. You set strict rules for yourself and promise to stick to them. But, inevitably, you are reminded of alcohol, nicotine, or carbs wherever you go. You see someone eating a delicious-looking bowl of pasta, or you go to a party and everyone is drinking and lighting up. Even when there appears to be no obvious trigger, you feel the craving. Arguably, there is a lot of chemical craving going on too, but the chemicals are just as active in your brain and nervous system. It seems like no matter how hard you try, the reminders are just too much and you eventually give in.

This is where White Bears comes into play. Wegner argues, with convincing evidence, that when this happens, we shouldn’t keep looking for distractions or put all our energies into suppressing the unwanted thought, which is what we naturally tend to do. Instead, we should sit with the thought and let ourselves habituate, or get used to it. The book gets its title from a famous series of experiments you might have heard of. If you tell someone not to think about a white bear, what are they going to do? Think about white bears of course. The act of trying to suppress a thought automatically brings that thought to mind. It is the same with any unwanted thought. When we stop telling ourselves to not think about something, we give our minds room to let go of the thought naturally. Rather than constantly being on guard against the thought, we can discard it in time like a child discards a toy they got tired of. This theory bares striking resemblance to the theories about mindfulness, which promotes the same concept of sitting with our thoughts in order to let go of them.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone suffering from OCD or any other type of anxiety disorder, as well as anyone else who just has an interest in this type of cognitive psychology. It well definitely make you think twice about the way you think               !

Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts - Book Review

http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Obsessive-Thoughts-Gain-Control/dp/1572243813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398556204&sr=8-1&keywords=Overcoming+Obsessive+THoughts

This is a great first book to read if you are just starting to explore the world of OCD literature. It contains wonderful explanations of a lot of key concepts in the realm of OCD self-help. Unfortunately, it was not the first book on the subject that I read. By the time I read this book I had heard most of the information  before. That being said, I would still highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from OCD, particularly those who are relatively new to it and still have a lot to learn.

The book recommends a pacing guide totaling 8 weeks, to give adequate time to read the chapters, complete the exercises, and apply the findings. I would seriously encourage putting a great deal of effort into these exercises and taking them seriously. I have to admit that I did not successfully do this myself, mostly because I had already done many of them in other books and practices. But having done them all at some point or another, I can honestly say that they are very helpful and worthwhile, especially if you are using books as an alternative to actual therapy. David Clark and Christine Purdon do an excellent job of outlining and explaining a lot of the practices that I also covered with my therapist.

I think what makes Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts such a great work is that it does a fantastic job of exploring the many different ways in which OCD can present itself, while simultaneously highlighting the underlying trends and themes that all of the various presentations have in common. Many different examples of obsessions and compulsions are described, along with the thought distortions that underlie them. And then there are exercises that guide you in identifying your own obsessions, compulsions, and thought patterns. The book really gives you all of the guidance and information on OCD you could hope for from a therapist or shrink.

One word of caution I would offer is that this is not really a book for family members or friends of those with OCD who are trying to understand the disorder. There are certainly sections within the book that could provide useful information for these readers, but as a whole this work is clearly directed at those who actually have OCD. The exercises and follow-up readings would be very much lost on those who don’t have actual symptoms to observe. If you are a friend or family member looking for reading material, there are much better books to turn to before this one.

Overall, though, Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts is a great resource and guide. Happy reading!