Overcoming obsessive thoughts: how to gain control of your OCD

Introduction: overview of OCD --
Who are we? --
Will this book help you? --
What\'s ahead --
Pacing and timing --
Chapter 1. Our treatment approach --
Medication and OCD --
Cognitive behavioral therapy and OCD --
Same thought, different reaction --
Difference is in the interpretation --
What does CBT do? --
Behavioral part --
Chapter 2. Do you have obsessions and compulsions? --
Some faces of OCD --
What are obsessions? --
Repugnant obsessions --
Are your thoughts obsessions? --
\"Normal\" obsessions --
Can obsessions turn ugly? --
Scrupulosity: a special case of religious obsessions --
Compulsions and neutralizing --
Examples of compulsions and neutralizing --
Thought control and avoidance --
Chapter 3. Making of an obsession --
Why do you have obsessions and compulsions? --
Engaging obsessional thoughts --
Thinking about thoughts --
Cognitive behavioral model --
Treatment rationale --
Chapter 4. Establishing your symptom profile --
Your own OCD symptoms --
Establishing your symptom profile: the behavioral component --
Establishing your symptom profile: the cognitive component --
Chapter 5. Why does your OCD persist? --
Why does your OCD persist? --
Behavioral factors --
Chapter 6. Are you ready to make changes? --
Change can be difficult --
Concealment of obsessions --
Overvalued ideation --
Concerns about overcoming OCD --
Addressing specific fears and concerns about overcoming OCD --
Costs of OCD: do they outweigh your concerns? --
Weighing and balancing --
Chapter 7. Paradox of mental control --
Attention and thoughts --
Deliberate attempts to control thoughts --
Research on mental control --
Why the paradox? --
Factors influencing the success of mental control --
Consequences of failed mental control --
Effectiveness of mental control strategies --
Thwarting the paradox --
Chapter 8. Overcoming obsessions with themes of harm, violence, and sex --
Violent and sexual obsessions --
What are your appraisals? --
Thought-action fusion --
Making use of this information --
Taking the plunge: exposure --
Chapter 9. Religious obsessions and compulsions --
Religious diversity --
Does religion cause OCD? --
Religious devotion: how much is too much? --
Faulty appraisals and beliefs --
Challenging appraisals --
Religious counseling and OCD treatment --
Taking the plunge: exposure --
Chapter 10. Taking the risk: phasing out coping strategies --
Rationale for phasing out coping strategies --
Taking it one step at a time: the exposure ladder --
Is it dangerous to experience this level of distress? --
Doing exposure exercises --
Keys to successful exposure --
How tos of exposure --
Troubleshooting --
Exposure exercises and your family --
Quitting cold turkey --
Chapter 11. Maintaining your gains --
Reviewing your gains --
Strategies for maintaining gains --
Managing the return of symptoms --
Coping with stress --
Stress management.