Leaving the OCD Circus, Kirsten Pagacz
Leaving the OCD Circus, Kirsten Pagacz
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Leaving the OCD Circus
Your Big Ticket Out of Having to Control Every Little Thing

Author: Kirsten Pagacz

Narrator: Emily Sutton-Smith, Greg Tremblay

Unabridged: 7 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Vibrance Press

Published: 01/16/2017

Synopsis

“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. Initially the tapping and counting and cleaning and ordering brought her comfort and structure, two things lacking in her 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 on to 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. Leaving the OCD Circus reveals the story of Pagacz’s traumatic childhood and the escalation of her disorder demonstrating how OCD works to misshape a life from a very young age and explains the various tools she used for healing including meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, yoga, exposure therapy, and medication.

Reviews

Goodreads review by T

It's a little heartbreaking to sit down and write a two and a half star review for a memoir that pulses with hard truths and taught me much about my own. Pagacz's hybridization of personal narrative and self care suggestions creates an intriguing premise for this book on OCD that importantly spans p......more

Goodreads review by Calla Reviews (كالا)

Likes: The author is personable and she definitely took you on the journey of her life. I felt like I was having a nice chat with another OCD sufferer and we were exchanging life stories and encouraging each other to carry on the fight. It reeled me in and I went on an emotional journey. I was cheeri......more

Goodreads review by Dave

I recently realized that a lot of the weird stuff I was experiencing lately was OCD. Just thought I was kinda crazy, but anyway, I went looking to read about it, and came across Kirsten's book. Glad I did, as it was very informative and helpful on the subject. OCD is not a fun thing to have, and som......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer

“Monkey chatter, having the heart of a lion…taming a wild elephant? Sounds like a flippin’ circus! Where’s the cotton candy? Someone bring in the clown!” “Life is like a carnival in many ways, and OCD is like a circus. I choose which rides to go on and which rides not to go on…I choose to leave the......more

Goodreads review by Maekena

What I love about this book is how open honest and real it is. Kirsten is truly brave in sharing her story, and it has really paid off as a gift to those struggling with mental disorders and their friends and family. Leaving the OCD Circus is truly eye opening to the affects of this disorder, but al......more

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