
Leaving the Ocd Circus
Jeff Bell
(Foreword by)Description
Both a book and a heart-stopping memoir that provides anxiety relief and gives comfort to those struggling to better understand themselves and their mental health.
The tapping and counting and cleaning and ordering brought her comfort and structure, two things lacking in Kirsten Pagacz's family life. But it never lasted. The loathsome self-talk only intensified, and the rituals she had to perform got more bizarre. By high school, she was anorexic and a substance abuser─common "shadow syndromes" of OCD. By adulthood, she could barely hide her problems and held onto jobs and friends through sheer grit. Help finally came in the form of a miraculously well-timed public service announcement on NPR about OCD─at last, her illness had an identity.
"It's like the meanest, wildest monkey running around my head, constantly looking for ways to bite me." That was how Kirsten Pagacz described her OCD to her therapist on their first session when she was well into her 30s─she'd been following orders from this mean taskmaster for 20 years, without understanding why. After finally having the answer and learning how to conquer her OCD, Pagacz wants to share her knowledge and insight with you in hopes that you join her in leaving the OCD circus and living a better life.
Leaving the OCD Circus reveals the story of Pagacz's traumatic childhood and the escalation of her disorder. Learn how OCD works to misshape a life from a very young age and the various tools she used to deal with and heal her anxiety.
Gain insight into:
- The benefits of meditation and yoga
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Medication
- Exposure therapy
If you learned from guides like Anxious for Nothing, The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, or The Anxiety and Worry Workbook then you'll want to read Leaving the OCD Circus.
Product Details
Publisher | Conari Press |
Publish Date | October 01, 2016 |
Pages | 264 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9781573246811 |
Dimensions | 8.9 X 6.0 X 0.7 inches | 0.9 pounds |
About the Author
Kirsten Pagacz was born in 1966 and grew up in Oak Park, IL. OCD came to her life when she was nine years old. At the onset, it was a welcomed distraction that took Pagacz away from her chaotic childhood. Her OCD was like a secret friend that always had interesting things for her to do. By high school she was deep in the clutches of her illness. Pagacz also developed the shadow syndromes of anorexia and substance abuse.
When she was 32, after a complete mental collapse, Pagaczwas diagnosed with severe OCD. On that day, in front of her doctor, she found one grain of sanity left within herself. From that one grain she had to grow a peaceful warrior, because the fight of a lifetime was in front of her. Kirsten wanted to do more than merely exist. She wanted joy back. She was tired of being robbed of literally thousands of hours while trying to comply with the demands of her OCD.
Since being diagnosed with severe OCD, Pagacz has been actively on a path to wellness and stability. Today, her OCD is in the side car, and she's driving behind the wheel and teaching other sufferers to do the same.
Reviews
It wasn't until her future husband heard a public service announcement on NPR describing OCD that Pagacz was able to put a name to her condition. After 20 years of rechecking locked doors, straightening computer cords, redoing school projects, and hearing threatening voices, Pagacz finally gets treatment. Her description of her escalating illness is irreverent, brutally honest, and compelling. With the help of her doctor, she is able to gradually control her obsessive thought and compulsive acts using strategies that included observing her actions and facing down Monkey, her mental tormentor. While triggers remain just below the surface, and Pagacz admits to relapses in stressful times, such as her wedding and starting her own business, her successes are inspiring. Excerpts from her poetry as well as thought-provoking quotes are scattered throughout the book, and important information is recapped in Key Points to Remember sidebars. Teens struggling with OCD will be encouraged by Pagacz's accessible story. And although there are no cures for quick fixes for the condition, according to Pagacz, her practical strategies offer hope to others facing similar struggles. --Candace Smith, Booklist, September 1, 2016-- "Reviews"
Teens struggling with OCD will be encouraged by Pagacz's accessible story. --Candace Smith, Booklist, September 1, 2016-- "Reviews"
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