Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Take the “On Ramp” The Making of the Map Clearing the Mind: Not a Bad Joke But . . . But . . . But . . . Chapter 2: The Disorder of Paradox Tourist from Jupiter The OCD Group: A Study in Poles Apart? Starting to Sort It Out We Mammals Chapter 3: OCD: Hunting for the Disorder of the Thinking Animal The Solution Seeing the Problem The Scent of the Hunt The Hunt In the Beginning: Cause and Effect As It Might Have Been Summary Chapter 4: OCD and Homo Religiosus--Religious Man The Emergence of Religious Feelings Now We Are in Recorded History For Christians, The Dividing Line of History Occurs The Jewish Track of History The Christian Track of History Three History-Bending Saints implications for Today Summary Chapter 5: Now It Is Our Turn Humility Nancy: A Chain of Three Marie: The Girl Gang-Tackled by OCD Nanette Joyce: A Love of Beauty and a Compulsion to Hoard Anne: Wrestling with Shame and Guilt--and Perfection Mary: The Little Girl Who Wanted to Marry Jesus Lou: Thirty-Five Years in the Dark Paul: Poet Laureate of OCD What We Can Learn from OCD Summary Chapter 6: Homo Sapiens Sapiens: We Have Found the Enemy and It Is Us The Old Brain The Midbrain The New Brain Adding It All Up Chapter 7: Theory Made Practical Differential Diagnosis Rethinking Diagnosis Symptom Selection Progression and Regression Bagging the Game: Implications of Evolutionary Thinking Personality, OCD, and Symptom Creep Personal Development Pathways to Change Chapter 8: Learning From Effecting Change We Have Much Experience with What Does Not Work We Now Have Some Experience with What Works and Why Clean, Clean, Clean Your Carpet, Gently Down Life’s Stream Step Ahead Theory into Scenario Planning for Practice We Climbers Now Have a Good Foothold Gaining Wisdom from OCD Chapter 9: OCD and the Quality of Life Loving with Your Heart Loving with All Your Mind Loving with All Your Strength Loving with All the Soul Quality of Life: The Need for a Role Model Chapter 10: Theologizing in a Neurobiological Age Our Past Continues into Our Present Implications for Living in the Present What Then Can We Affirm? The Direction of Human Potential Appendix: Available Resources Notes Index