Summary
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.
Foreword by Jonathan Abramowitz, PhD
Reviews
“... Using their first-hand knowledge of OCD and marriage, the Culkins have combined their own personal experience with the state-of-the art scientific research to write an extremely useful guide for couples navigating the “OCD waters.”
Jonathan Abramowitz, PhD, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
“This book will be a treasure and a lifeline for any couple dealing with OCD. It offers a roadmap for navigating the complex impact OCD has on a partnership. Readers will gain practical and creative guidance on how to utilize CBT and ERP plus meditation, while nurturing and strengthening the connection with their partner in the process. Ultimately, this book honors the sacred connection of marriage and will foster resilience, understanding, and a hopeful outlook.
Dr. Bonnie Zucker, Author of Take Control of OCD & Parenting Kids with OCD
“I will never forget the day that I asked Dave to consider writing a book on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the effects on marriage. I told him, “You and Michaela have quite a success story to tell.” What has resulted is this fantastic literary work which guides couples to a greater understanding of OCD and a method to navigate through marital life and unifying love. It is a double win for the Culkin marital team because each partner contributes to the mapping and strategic planning for the adventures in marriage. It has been a prosperous and exciting time to see each spouse grow in acceptance and understanding of OCD and to merge their perspectives in order to help others in their lives. I am proud to know and acknowledge Dave and Michaela Culkin as a couple who seek a greater good for themselves and others by bringing understanding, compromise, and collaboration to a subject matter that needs to be addressed.”
Jacqueline R. Pfeifer, PhD
“David and Michaela Culkin have created a much needed resource for gaining insights and healing a marriage where one or both partners suffer with OCD. As they each reveal their life stories, the reader begins to identify deeply with the distresscreated by obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD and Marriage encourages the reader to“let go of” the traps which have led to disappointment and disillusionment in the relationship with one’s self, a spouse, and OCD.The reader discovers new tools for collaborating with one’s spouse and building a firm foundation to promote a greater sense of unity. Gaining awareness is often a catalyst for change. However, the Culkins remove the focus from encouraging minor improvements and adjustments which are frequently recommended by mental health professionals because those adjustments do not impact the core of the marital relationship experiencing the presence of OCD. Instead,The 6-Pathway Model is provided to shift the focus to permanent change, growth, and healing of each individual and the marriage. The Model provides multidimensional insights and guidelines for creating a new way of perceiving what has and is taking place in the relationship with Self and one’s spouse. Compassion and empathy replace frustration, impatience, shame, and the sense of hopelessness with a new vision for what is possible in marriage . . . with or without OCD.”
Janet A. Beverley, LSCSW, Psychotherapist, Consultant, and author of Creating Loving Relationships: Living a Life of Authenticity
