Maggie Lamond Simone - Body Punishment: OCD, Addiction, and Finding the Courage to Heal

Special Praise for Body Punishment

Body Punishment has an inviting and comforting way of discussing a misunderstood and isolating illness. Reading it was like sitting in an overstuffed couch talking to a best friend. It gives hope to those suffering with OCD but also those with loved ones with OCD that they cant understand. Wonderful read. I did not put it down until I read it cover to cover!

Lisa I. Carroll

Supervising US Probation Officer, Middle District of Louisiana

Sarcastic, witty, insightful! Maggie Lamond Simone writes with a sincerity that is endearing and frank, giving a voice to the internal conversations that lead to silent suffering for many. Body Punishment is an insight into the life and mind of an innocent being conditioned by OCDcolorful, dramatic, passionate, sharp, and disruptive at times, though beautiful when seeing it as a whole.

Kaushal B. Nanavati, MD, FAAFP, ABIHM

Director, Integrative Medicine, Upstate Cancer Center Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University

Maggie Simone provides a deeply personal account of her experiences with OCD and addiction. She shows how one can overcome significant psychiatric challenges while leading a productive, fulfilling life.

Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Body Punishment is a deeply personal account of living with OCD. Maggie recounts her childhood and how undiagnosed OCD impacted her self-esteem and life experiences. Maggies open, honest, and humorous writing style allows the reader an unusually intimate glimpse into the life of someone living with OCD.

She chronicles the evolution of addiction from self-medicating to alleviate symptoms of anxiety to the point where alcohol use takes on a life of its own. Her life example offers hope, empathy, and a sense of belonging for someone with OCD.

Body Punishment is a compelling read and one we will recommend to our clients.

Cary Rector, MS, LMHC

Tonja Rector, MA, LMFT

Body Punishment is remarkably intimate and inspiring. Maggie Lamond Simone bares her soul in a way that can only be described as beautifully vulnerable.

Correlating her experiences in the martial arts with her growing realization about her mental illness and alcoholism, she brilliantly exposes both as journeys of insight, healing, and personal growth. This book creates an opening for those who struggle with any mental affliction; through her courageous self-disclosures, Simone lets others know they are not alone, that they can be empowered to act, and, perhaps most importantly, there is no shame in mental illness.

Dr. William A. Raineri, Orthodontist

Fourth Degree Black Belt

Central Recovery Press (CRP) is committed to publishing exceptional materials addressing addiction treatment, recovery, and behavioral healthcare topics, including original and quality books, audio/visual communications, and web-based new media. Through a diverse selection of titles, we seek to contribute a broad range of unique resources for professionals, recovering individuals and their families, and the general public.

For more information, visit www.centralrecoverypress.com.

2015 by Maggie Lamond Simone

All rights reserved. Published 2015.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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ISBN: 978-1-937612-82-5 (e-book)

Photo of Maggie Lamond Simone by Katrina Grady

Publishers Note: This is a memoir, a work based on fact recorded to the best of the authors memory. Central Recovery Press books represent the experiences and opinions of their authors only. Every effort has been made to ensure that events, institutions, and statistics presented in our books as facts are accurate and up-to-date. To protect their privacy, the names of some of the people and institutions in this book may have been changed.

This book contains general information about OCD, alcoholism, and suggested treatments. The information is not medical advice, and should not be treated as such. Central Recovery Press makes no representations or warranties in relation to the medical information in this book; this book is not an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you or someone close to you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information in this or any book.

Cover design, interior design, and layout by Sara Streifel, Think Creative Design

This book is dedicated to my parents, who, with little of the knowledge available today about what goes on in our heads and why, never lost sight of their love for us.

Im hoping one day my children will say the same about me.

CONTENTS

People who live with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience severe anxiety. They have persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts and urges that interfere with their daily lives. The obsessive thoughts lead them to the compulsive behaviors. As a society, we tend to overuse the term OCDfor example, when we share a story and say, Im a bit OCD when it comes to my closet. That is not OCD, unless you cant leave your closet for hours on end, in which case you may need some help. OCD is not an adjective. It is a commonly misunderstood illness. Family members may chalk up the symptoms they see in loved ones to quirks and not recognize how debilitating it is.

People who suffer from OCD can go undiagnosed for their entire lives due, in large part, to the guilt, shame, and embarrassment they feel in relationship to the illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has recognized certain similarities among a variety of anxiety-driven conditions; the latest edition, 2013s DSM-5, has reclassified them under the umbrella heading of obsessive-compulsive disorders. These disorders include trichotillomania (hair-pulling), as well as excoriation (skin-picking). Maggies candor in disclosing her thoughts and feelings pertaining specifically to these issues will open many peoples eyes to the body punishment that is related to OCD.