OCD and Marriage Pathways to Reshaping Your

The premise of OCD and Marriage is simple: an OCD caregiver and sufferer can successfully manage symptoms and improve their quality of life and their marital relationship. OCD does not have to take over a marriage. The three aims of this book are to (a) encourage individuals diagnosed with OCD to face the disorder head-on together with their spouses in creative ways, (b) permit married couples to reach out for support, and (c) seek relation-based healing that complements established, evidence-based OCD therapies. Rather than approach coping with OCD from a clinical perspective, the authors choose to offer sufferers and their spouses a resource they wished they had when they struggled with the myths, barriers, and impact of OCD. Central to this is a focus on strengthening marital relationships through active, creative communication. This focus on communication highlights our belief that living with OCD is a family affair by which everyone affected—whether care giver or sufferer—can survive and thrive.

David T. Culkin, PhD, is an adult educator with years of classroom and academic experience in continuing and occupational education and in government service. David retired from the U.S. Army in 2013 with over 21 years of service. He holds a Ph.D. in Adult, Occupational, and Continuing Education from Kansas State University and has facilitated mid-career learners at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He has a graduate certificate in qualitative research; his dissertation was an autoethnographic bildungsroman about growing up with OCD and learning to live with it. Michaela A. Culkin, PhD, is a professional primary educator with over 20 years of classroom and administrative experience in multiple school districts. Michaela holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Kansas and has served as an elementary school teacher (PK-6) and principal in several states. She and her husband, David, are familiar with the challenges of OCD as caregiver and sufferer, respectively, and have shared their experiences of living with OCD in presentations to others.

Foreword i
What Others Say iii
Preface v
Authors’ Note viii
How to Use This Book ix

Section I: Understand OCD in Your Marriage 1

Chapter 1: Our Stories 3
Chapter 2: What Makes a Good Marriage? 11
Chapter 3: Defining OCD and Its Subtypes 17
Chapter 4: Do's and Don'ts of Accommodating OCD in the Marriage 35
Chapter 5: Our Levels of Awareness: How did We Know? 39
Chapter 6: Mindfulness and Treatment 45
Chapter 7: Examples From Our Experiences 51

Section II Six Ways to Rebuild Your Marriage 71

Chapter 8: Pathway One—Six Ways to Rebuild Your Marriage 71
Chapter 9: Pathway Two—Address Emotions in the Relationship 77
Chapter 10: Pathway Three—Improve Communication 83
Chapter 11: Pathway Four—Get Treatment for Both of You
Chapter 12: Pathway Five— Find Your Voices 92
Chapter 13: Pathway Six— Rebalance and Reignite Romance 101
Chapter 14: All Pathways: Evaluate the Implementation of Your Action Plans 105
Chapter 15: Interactive Exercises 109

Section III: Tools and Resources

Concluding Thoughts125
References 159
Index 165

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

OCD and Marriage Pathways to Reshaping Your Lives Together

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials