We are used to appreciating the human brain, because it is able to set large-scale tasks - from building pyramids to landing on the moon - and successfully solve them. However, this same brain sets traps, creating beliefs that torment us. It creates doubts that cause constant concern. And switches attention to thoughts that cannot be stopped thinking - and it begins to seem to us: you need to do something over and over again to feel relief. The brain can interfere with the simplest decision by endlessly proposing different scenarios, so that it seems as if the right choice cannot be made. This is how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) arises. In this book, clinical psychologists Catherine Pittman and William Youngs will share their knowledge of the processes that cause intrusive thoughts and actions, and show how to reduce their intensity. They will explain the emergence of a painful feeling of anxiety and fear, forcing you to constantly perform certain actions in order to feel some kind of relief. And help you get out of this vicious circle by offering new ways to deal with anxiety. You will master the mechanism of creating new connections in the brain, which will provide you with the opportunity to live happily and freely - in accordance with your own goals and values.