Product Description
The revealing story of one man's struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and his hard-won recovery Nagging doubt: It's a part of everyday life. Who hasn't doubled back to check on a door or appliance? But what if one check wasn't enough? Nor two or three? And what if nagging doubt grew so intense that physical senses became all but useless? Such was the case for Jeff Bell, a husband, father, and highly successful radio news anchor—and one of the millions of Americans living with obsessive-compulsived disorder (OCD). Bell's frank and forthright memoir recounts the depths to which this debilitating anxiety disorder reduced him—to driving his car in continuous circles, scouring his hands in scalding water, and endlessly rewinding, replaying, and repeating in his head even the most mundane daily experiences. Readers will learn what OCD feels like from the inside, and how healing from such a devastating condition is possible through therapy, determination, and the support of loved ones.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 18 reviews)

Both fascinating and frustrating memoir of one man's struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Beth Cholette (Upstate NY USA)

5 Stars
August 20, 2009
To most people, Jeff Bell, a popular radio personality, appears confident and successful, but in reality, Jeff's world is filled with doubt--or, as Bell comes to think of it, "Doubt" with a capital D. Bell suffers from severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a potentially debilitating form of mental illness. As the title of the book suggests, Bell's OCD manifests mainly in the form of repetitive behaviors--such as checking the same thing over and over and over again...and again. Bell continues the tape metaphor throughout his book, using the "rewind" button to begin his story with his earliest memory of obsessive-like thinking at age seven or eight. He then fast-forwards through his "normal" years of adolescence, high school, and college, coming to a stop at the time of early marriage/young fatherhood, when a seemingly minor incident serves to rekindle his obsessional tendencies, setting him off into a devastating downward spiral. Over the course of the next year, Bell continues to decompensate as his obsessions expand and his compulsive behaviors increase. Bell eventually enters treatment with a cognitive behavior therapist, and using a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication---a treatment option which Bell had been very reluctant to pursue---Bell does make significant progress. In fact, he is feeling so well that he undergoes a major job change, moves with his family to another city, and goes off his medication, believing he is done with OCD for good. As one might expect, the latter turns out not to be the case, and Bell finds that his symptoms return with a vengeance. Although he does resume work with his CBT therapist, he comes to realize a need to develop a more comprehensive, personalized approach to his own recovery. In the book's Epilogue, which takes place seven years after the conclusion of Bell's self-help project, Bell admits that he will always have OCD, but for the most part, he has reached a point where he is the one controlling his life, not the disorder of Doubt. Overall, this book provides a fascinating portrait of OCD. As a psychologist, I found it particularly intriguing to view this disorder from the patient's perspective, although I sometimes found myself frustrated by Bell's resistance to treatment. Still, I eagerly devoured Bell's captivating story and quickly made my way through this entire book. Rewind, Replay, Repeat would be particularly appropriate for those suffering from OCD, as it would provide both kinship and comfort, but I would highly recommend this mesmerizing book to anyone who is curious about this disorder.

I enjoyed this book very much by makena

5 Stars
August 19, 2009
This was a very well written book. It gives good insight into the struggles that those with OCD deal with daily.

Good book, but limited in scope by Bobby Rebo (Washington, D.C.)

4 Stars
December 02, 2008
This book contains some good stories about OCD experiences. However, reading a book that a therapist who also happens to be a recovering sufferer wrote was much more comprehensive. Different types of symptoms are elaborated upon and more treatment and self-help techniques are discussed in The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing. I really enjoyed this book; it was very humorous and informative.

rewind, replay, repeat by Jane Doe (USA)

5 Stars
November 25, 2008
This book was eye-opening to the struggles of the person with OCD. It was also hopeful, funny, and an enjoyable read. I loved it.

"A life steeped in uncertainty." by E. Bukowsky (NY United States)

5 Stars
October 06, 2007
Jeff Bell uses the metaphor of a tape player to describe his struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in his harrowing memoir, "Rewind, Replay, Repeat." Bell has been a successful radio personality for many years, which makes his willingness to come clean about his illness all the more remarkable. He is a doubter, who states, "I have all five of my senses, but tend not to trust any of them." Because he does not believe what he perceives, Bell mentally replays entire sequences of his life over and over again. He also revisits places to check that he has not harmed anyone or failed to do something essential. He calls his story "a tale of fear and torment and agony and shame." After experiencing a few OCD symptoms as a child, Bell enjoys a normal adolescence, goes on to college, earns an MBA, marries his college sweetheart, and starts a career in commercial radio. He and his wife, Samantha, have a little girl, Nicole. Everything is going wonderfully. Unfortunately, the peace of mind that he enjoyed for so many years is shattered when his OCD returns with a vengeance. He begins to obsess about a near-collision that occurs while he is piloting his father's boat. He spends hours worrying about some minor damage that he may have inflicted on someone else's cabin cruiser. Not only does he think about this event constantly, but he also visits the marina over and over to look for physical clues. This fixation on an unimportant incident takes over his life to such an extent that it begins to affect his marriage and his ability to concentrate at work. He stays up all night worrying, and his sleeplessness makes him groggy during the day. Rather than owning up to his condition, Bell makes a valiant effort to hide the truth from his colleagues, friends, and loved ones. He is living a double life and it is destroying him emotionally. Even after he reluctantly shares his secret with his family and agrees to seek help, the first therapist that Bell consults has no useful answers for him. Although his devoted wife is steadfast in her support of her beleaguered husband, she finds his behavior increasingly unsettling. After sixteen months of "pent-up rage," Bell curls up on the bathroom floor of his house and bawls like a baby. He is deteriorating and he has no idea what to do to make things better. "Rewind, Replay, Repeat" illuminates the agonizing world of doubters and checkers--those unfortunate souls who cannot leave well enough alone. OCD sufferers include: the woman who must unlock her front door repeatedly to check the stove; the driver who feels compelled to circle the block to make sure that he didn't run over a pedestrian; the terrified child who keeps asking his mother the same question a thousand times and is never satisfied with the answer; the washers who scrub their hands dozens of times a day until their skin is raw and painful; and the savers who hoard objects of no value until their homes resemble garbage dumps. Medical science has yet to pinpoint exactly what causes the brains of OCD patients to misfire. This is an intensely personal, painfully honest, and extremely detailed look at one man's journey into the abyss and back. After he learns that he has OCD, an incurable condition, Bell struggles for years to get his life under control with a combination of spiritual awakening, a support group, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drug treatment. "Rewind, Replay, Repeat" is an informative, touching, and vividly written first-person account that will give hope and comfort to OCD sufferers and their families. It is a welcome addition to other excellent non-fiction works on this subject that include the classic "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing" by Judith Rappaport and "Brain Lock" by Jeffrey Schwartz.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty by Jeff Bell (Author), Michael Jenike (Foreword) When in doubt, make belief. For author and news anchor Jeff Bell, these are words to live by. Literally. As someone who has spent much of his life battling severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Bell has had to overcome crippling uncertainty few people can imagine. In this powerful follow-up to his critically acclaimed memoir, Rewind, Replay, Repeat, Bell expounds on the principles of applied belief that allowed him to make such a remarkable recovery from this “doubting disease” and...
	Life in Rewind: The Story of a Young Courageous Man Who Persevered Over OCD and the Harvard Doctor Who Broke All the Rules to Help Him by Terry Weible Murphy (Author), Michael A. Jenike (Author), Edward E. Zine (Author) "Time equals progression— progression equals death." The equation is logical. But few of us think of each moment and each physical movement as comprising a path to our certain end. Surely such torture would drive us mad. But for Ed Zine, who suffers from a debilitating form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), this statement is a mantra that holds him prisoner—figuratively and literally. Ed's OCD tells him, illogically, that if going forward in time moves him...
	Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Ian Osborn (Author) While on vacation, Raymond incessantly checked the carpets of Disney World looking for poison he had seen spilled there--in his mind.... Sherry was terrified of her thoughts about stabbing her baby daughter.... Jeff couldn't silence a mental voice urging him to have sex with men and animals.... Howard Hughes had it. So did historical figures Martin Luther and Ignatius of Loyola. They all suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)--as do over five million Americans who need to know that...
	The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing by John B. (Author) The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing is not only a memoir about one OCD sufferer, but also included are a rich variety of self-help techniques and E/RP treatment utilized by many in the book. E/RP (exposure and response-prevention), the OCD treatment-of-choice, is thoroughly explained and demonstrated in the authors' as well as his clients' struggles. The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing derives its title and starts a troubled boy's story from the bestselling book The Boy Who Couldn't Stop...
	"It'll be Okay.": How I Kept Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from Ruining My Life by Shannon Shy (Author) Shannon Shy is a senior civilian attorney with the Department of the Navy and a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. In 1997, while on active duty with the Marines, he was diagnosed with a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder or "OCD." His OCD had become so severe he became practically non-functioning. He constantly found himself in a seemingly endless loop of intrusive and irrational thoughts, mental anguish, physical pain, and odd behaviors. It got to the point...