The Imp of the Mind Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts Paperback - 2000

From the publisher

While working with patients suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dr. Lee Baer began to recognize that many of them had a related condition in common: intrusive thoughts of a violent, sexual, or blasphemous nature. We all have bad thoughts, and most of us don't require treatment for them as they don't impair us functionally. But consider the priest so terrified of looking at women for fear of staring at their breasts that he isn't able to say Mass. Or the more common case of the young mother paralyzed by the fear of accidentally poisoning her infant. Or the man who -- although not attracted to other men -- is convinced he is a closeted homosexual. In these and other cases, sufferers grapple with these thoughts (which are either unacceptable to themselves or to society at large) in silence rather than expose them to a family member or doctor. It is for this reason that Baer believes that bad thoughts are a hidden epidemic.

In Taming Bad Thoughts, Baer draws on his own groundbreaking research (as well as that of his colleagues) and looks at neurological, psychological, evolutionary, Freudian, and religious theories to get to the heart of what causes these thoughts. While most people who suffer from bad thoughts never act on them, he explains the warning signs of thought crossing into action. He provides sufferers with information on how to get help through medication and non-medication treatments or self-help, and explains effective non-medication and self-help methods (exposure and cognitive therapy). Baer includes scales for measuring improvement, information on what to do if your bad thoughts return, what to tell your loved ones about your bad thoughts, and how to finda therapist if you aren't able to control the thoughts on your own. Most importantly, Baer gives the sufferer a way to find peace of mind from bad thoughts.