A Review of Lee Baer’s text, Imp of The Mind – for Clinicians and Overachieving Clients

            I was very excited to begin reading Lee Bearer’s highly regarded text, The Imp of the Mind.  The text was often referred to me by my colleagues and is noted on many therapist back channels as a popular referral for clients. Diving in to the text I found myself intrigued by how Lee Baer was able to eloquently compare the annoyances and spontaneity of intrusive thoughts to a ‘perverse’ mystical creature, the Imp. I thought that his description of the Imp helped provide an identity and persona to the troubling thoughts that many of us experience difficulties with. An identity that strikes fear, discomfort, and anxiety. Of course, many of us pay no attention to the Imp, but others are consumed by the Imp’s power and presence. Many of us often try to understand how the Imp plays with our sensitivities and vulnerabilities, only further leaving us bewildered.

“The Imp of Perverse visits every one of us from time to time, with two possible outcomes: (1) We give the thoughts little attention and no credence and go on with our lives, or (2) we are strongly affected by the bad thoughts, so that the thoughts occur frequently during the day and interfere with our functioning socially or at work.”

What I appreciated was Lee’s attempt to normalize intrusive thoughts. He mentions often in the text that the Imp of Perverse influences us all, not just individuals who experience difficulties with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The bad thoughts can be paralyzing if we give it attention, but we don’t necessarily have to give it attention, nor do we have to attempt to interpret the inappropriateness of each thought.  

“The Imp of Perverse will try to torment you with thoughts of whatever it is you consider to be the most inappropriate or awful thing you could do.”

The description of the control and need for certainty by those who feel disempowered may certainly resonate with the imagery of the Imp disturbance. Sufferers may also find comfort with Lee’s efforts to help individuals learn to tolerate each thought and challenge themselves to face their fears- in this case the creature that torments them. Of course, those practicing acceptance and commitment therapy may not appreciate Lee’s imagery of the Imp and in fact challenge the Imp as simply an entity that could be simply protecting oneself from their ultimate fear (in other words, how could you hate something trying to protect you).

Of course, Lee also refers to the work of Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person. Lee argues that many people who struggle with intrusive thoughts may also be ‘highly sensitive.’ The argument is not supported empirically and could potentially further pathologize those that identify as highly sensitive.

What I found most interesting is how Lee described his collaboration with religious leaders to help manage symptoms of religious OCD symptoms. I began to attempt to reach out to religious leaders in my community who have experience working with OCD patients, but I have yet to find any.

Overall, the text does a very well job normalizing intrusive thoughts. I appreciated the historical references made of past historical notes made referencing OCD thoughts and stories of modern day cultural icons that may have also experienced difficulties with obsessive symptoms.

Recommendations for Clinicians and Overachieving OCD Suffers:

All of Part 1 of his text, The Problem of Bad Thoughts – This is an excellent resource to initially introduce patients to OCD treatment. I would recommend all of Part 1. This is also a great supplemental resource.

The Chapter Titled – Habituation, in Part 2 of the text: The Key to Exposure Therapy, I really liked how he defined habituation and introduced it to the reader. This could be a very helpful resource for clinicians attempting to warm clients up to exposure and response prevention.