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

The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts, breaks tremendous ground with those of us who have suffered at one time another with what Dr. Lee Baer refers to as 'Obsessive Bad Thoughts'. Some have objected to the use of the term 'bad thoughts' as judgemental of OCD sufferers, or their intelligence. I don't find this to be true, though, as Baer uses the term to refer to images and feelings that the perceiver him/herself is disturbed by (as well as the feeling of -being- disturbed), so in essence it's no more judgemental to call them bad thoughts than say someone has 'bad feelings' when they sprain an ankle. The book is a very powerful first step for people who suffer from thoughts; be they violent, sexual, blasphemous, or otherwise directly in opposition to their own personal taboos. Baer explains in scientifically validated yet easilly accessible language that sufferers of this problem are not criminal or amoral, as they may fear themselves to be 'deep down', nor are they alone. This very reveal can be liberating for someone who has suffered in silence and isolation, feeling unable to talk about their afflicting thoughts for fear of being looked at as insane or treated as a pariah. Baer explains that the very act of trying to suppress thoughts that are taboo is what reinforces them and causes them to develop into obsessions in the first place. He uses many case examples of patients he has worked with in the past, as well as data collected from large surveys to show that not only is this phenomenon widespread and common, but that sufferers are NOT the things they obsess and fear themselves to be and that those fears run the gambit of all extremes, from worrying about bestiality to becoming a serial killer! I find this book to be extremely poignant, accessible, and supported by legitimate science. In today's society, where we are constantly exposed to fictionalized violence in the form of horror films and real-life violence from the news media, with no light shined on conditions such as those dealt with in the book, it can cause sufferers of 'bad thoughts' to feel increasingly worried and even paranoid about their own thoughts and behaviors. This book will liberate people from those most crushing and debilitating personal fears, and open the door to new methods of treatment and ways to improve quality of life. That being said, it is clearly a 'first aid kit' in the sense of the above. The actual portion of the book given over to treatment is relatively small and fleeting, such that people who have already 'crossed that hurdle' may find little new here. For more familiarity with the condition, though, and in particular to people still suffering under their own stigma from intrusive thoughts, I -highly- recommend it. Reading this book was a turning point for me, personally, in the treatment of my OCD.

This is the first and only book that I have found that actually deals with obsessive negative bad thoughts. Most of the OCD books that I have found deal with compulsions and rituals and hit very lightly on obsessive negative thoughts. Great book that offers lots of good strategies for dealing with obsessive negative thoughts.

I only had to read about three pages in to this book to realize that this was the BEST book written thus far on intrusive thoughts. Dr. Baer does a wonderful job of reaching the reader through case studies that he has encountered over his long career. I would strongly recommend that anyone who suffers from this torturesome side of OCD to buy this book. It has been a true gift to me.

I've read a lot of books about OCD, and most of them focus on compulsive BEHAVIOR (handwashing, checking locks, hoarding, etc.) rather than what to do about obsessions -- intrusive thoughts that can depress and often cripple people. As someone with OCD obessions but not compulsions, this book has been a huge help to me. Best of all is to read Baer's detailed descriptions of real-life patients with a variety of different obsessions and to recognize just how common these thoughts really are. If you've ever felt guilty, depressed, or flawed because of your obsessions, read this book ... the mere recognition that you are neither evil nor alone in having these thoughts is, in itself, a major step towards healing.

For those of us who are plagued with obsessive bad thoughts, this book is very important. Since I was very young I have been bothered by obsessive religious thoughts, especially during prayer-time. Because of these thoughts, I have gone through periods in my life where I had to stop praying, because it seemed like the only way to minimize these thoughts. This is not something I have ever discussed with anyone, even though I was in therapy and on medication for depression for several years. It really just seemed too terrible to talk about. I always wondered what was wrong with me, and even wondered if I was possessed. This book has put my mind at ease, by letting me know that it's my brain, and not "me" that is the problem. I don't have these thoughts because I am evil, I have them because there is something wrong with my brain. Thank you for writing this book, Dr. Baer, because it seems like the other books on OCD focus on behaviors, and don't give an indepth discussion of obsessive thoughts which can be just as disturbing as counting, checking or hording.