Abyss to Zenith -- Up From Insanity: One Man's Triumph Over Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [Paperback]

Reagan Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2002

This inspiring autobiography is of one who survived the ravages of obsessive-compulsive disorder - OCD - (and related disorders, namely depression, phobias, and panic attacks) for over 30 years, and who finally triumphed over these enemies. This book is an in-depth personal account in which an actual sufferer of OCD vividly describes his thoughts, emotions, and symptoms. The author details what life is like for a person who has this ailment and offers encouragement to those individuals who are still suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is his hope that these individuals, their families, and their friends, will realize that persons with OCD can lead happy, successful, and productive lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Entertaining...highly readable...poignant...informative...and a touch of humor in spite of the struggle." -- Robert O. Collier, M.D.

"Smith skillfully conveys the relentless despair that OCD brings...Mental illness responds to treatment is Smith's message of hope." -- Eileen Mattei, Books From the Border

From the Inside Flap

A small, skinny boy grew up on a cotton farm in deep South Texas; his story is one you will never forget...

One crisp autumn night Reagan removed his clothes and shoes and crawled into his bed. A night light in the hall partially illuminated his room, and as he lay in bed, he noticed that his shoes weren't lined up perfectly side by side. Suddenly this began to bother him. Then he chastised himself thinking that it was silly that this would worry him. Nothing like this had ever upset him before. He realized that he was experiencing another abnormal thought, and this realization frightened him. He tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about those shoes. He felt an overpowering urge to get out of bed and line them up exactly beside each other. He tried to resist the thought, but the harder he resisted, the more commanding the thought became.

He wished that he could just forget the shoes and go to sleep. He could not. He was a prisoner of his own thinking. After an hour of torment, the boy timidly crawled out of bed and straightened his shoes. In a way, he felt relief; yet he also felt defeated. He had surrendered again to thoughts he knew to be irrational.

Reagan was becoming aware that something very wrong was happening to him. He knew he dared not tell anyone. He wondered if he was going crazy! Why would a person feel compelled to do things he did not really want to do?

He knew that crazy people were locked up in insane asylums, some for the remainder of their lives. He thought that, if he told someone what he had been experiencing, there was a chance he would be taken to one of those horrible places where people were put in straitjackets and given shock therapy. He could not risk it. He could never tell.

He didn't dare let anyone discover his abnormal behavior - his craziness - his growing insanity...

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Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: Emerald Publishing (October 23, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0965828816
• ISBN-13: 978-0965828819
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,450,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, March 29, 2009

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Cypriot "petg57" (CYPRUS) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Abyss to Zenith -- Up From Insanity: One Man's Triumph Over Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Paperback)

This is the best book I have read so far regarding OCD. Most other books talk about washing, checking or hoarding but Smith's book showed me that there's a lot more to OCD. I was impressed by the author's honesty and found his writing style enjoyable. I am not a Christian myself but this book remains my favourite OCD book. It taught me more about OCD than any other book. Thank you Reagan.