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\\u201cYikes! I might get contaminated!\\u201d

The Treatment of Sara

Today we are joined by a woman named Sara, who will be featured in one of the chapters from my new book, Feeling Great.

Rhonda begins today\\u2019s podcast by reading two heart-warming endorsements from podcast fans. Then we did a brief overview of OCD. OCD consists of two components, obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions are intrusive, anxiety provoking thoughts, like \\u201cwhat if I forgot to turn off the burners on the stove.\\u201d Compulsions are rituals that temporarily relieve the anxiety, such as going back into the kitchen repeatedly to make sure that the burners really are turned off. This problem can become more and more severe until the obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals consume massive amounts of the patient\\u2019s time and become crippling.

You are probably aware that OCD plagued the life of the billionaire playboy, Howard Hughes, featured in the recent film, \\u201cThe Aviator.\\u201d During the last years of his life, he became totally consumed by concerns about germs, and ended up isolated in the penthouse suite at the top of a hotel in Las Vegas. According to a \\u201cpsychological autopsy\\u201d (https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/hughes) published by the American Psychological Association, Hughes lay naked in bed in darkened hotel rooms in what he considered a germ-free zone. He even wore tissue boxes on his feet to protect them, and burned his clothing if someone near him became ill.

Sara, today\\u2019s guest, was a victim of the same type of OCD. She describes how her intense fears of germs and contamination came on more than 20 years ago, and the devastating impact of the OCD on her as well as her relationships with friends and family. She also describes her shame about her rituals of constantly washing her hands and desperately trying to avoid contamination.

Sara also describes, in vivid detail, her remarkable and inspiring five minute \\u201ccure\\u201d one evening at David\\u2019s Tuesday evening training group at Stanford earlier this year. She had courageously volunteered to be the patient so David could to demonstrate TEAM-CBT with a problem generally thought to be exceptionally challenging and refractory. And although Sara\\u2019s dramatic and mind-blowing recovery only took about five minutes, the treatment required a lifetime of courage!

Fortunately, one of my students had his cell phone in hand, and made a brief video of the last phase of her treatment at the Tuesday group, which involved putting her hands into a slimy, dirty garbage can right outside the front door of our Behavioral Sciences Building at Stanford and then rubbing her fingers on her face. Check it out! (link)

And yes, the effects DID last! Her treatment was many months ago, and she\\u2019s been a totally changed person!

Following the podcast, Rhonda and I got two beautiful emails from Sara:

Wow! What a beautiful day! Thank you, Rhonda and David for the amazing opportunity to share my story! I feel very selfish but I enjoyed every minute of it. You both made me feel so comfortable and welcome. You two are so incredibly AWESOME! You make a superb team! :)

And here is the second wonderful email:

David, I hope you are feeling better and that you recover from your cold soon, very soon.

I wanted to share an afterthought I had a couple of days after we recorded the podcast. I wish I had thought about it before the podcast because this was so much part of my OCD.

Anyway, for years (many years) I bought sanitized hand wipes and carried them in my purse, car, briefcase, you name it\\u2014I had hand wipes everywhere. I was known for having wipes with me all the time.

Not long after the magical treatment of my OCD, I was at the grocery store and proceeded to add three packets of sanitized hand wipes to my basket and I burst into laughter, even though I was by myself! I, then, put them back on the shelf, as I told myself, \\u201cI don\\u2019t need these anymore!\\u201d

Since then, I no longer carry them NOR NEED THEM!

Funny enough, I have been approached on different occasions by family members and friends saying something like, \\u201cYou always have wipes, can we have one, please?\\u201d I have to say, \\u201cSorry, I don\\u2019t carry wipes anymore since I\\u2019ve been cured!\\u201d

What a wonderful feeling that is\\u2014not to feel dependent nor a slave to the sink and hand wipes. Not to mention, all the money I am saving by not buying wipes!!!

Anyway, I thought I should share that with you and I\\u2019m sad I didn\\u2019t remember it until after the recording of the podcast.

Once again, thank you both for the amazing recording, all your support, and all you do for our Tuesday training group and humanity in general!

With Immense Gratitude,

Sara

Sara Shane is a certified TEAM-CBT therapist practicing in the central valley of California (Stockton). She is multi-lingual and offers intensives\\u2014extended, single-session treatment of depression and all of the anxiety disorders. And, here\\u2019s something fantastic\\u2014although Sara is a superb therapist, her fees are modest, thus bucking the current trend of charging outrageous fees for psychotherapy in California. This is something I really admire and appreciate!

If you would like to contact Sara, you can reach her at: 209-476-8867.

David and Rhonda