Heart to Heart – One Woman's Struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive

copyright 2000

I picked up a couple short books by Evelyn Smith at the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Conference in Chicago. Both are from a Christian perspective.

Sermons in the Sand and Other Devotional Stories is a book of devotions, each with related Scripture passages before it and followed by a short prayer. Evelyn tells everyday stories and applies spiritual lessons that are sure to be helpful. They are challenging enough to be useful but not overwhelming. She touches on her struggle with OCD in only one story, but you can feel the shadow of OCD in the rest of the stories. This would be a good book to use for your daily quiet time. If you're in a hurry, you could read only the devotional and save the Bible passages for the next day. Or just read one of the three daily Scripture passages each day since each one isn't long, only a few verses.

The title of the second book doesn't begin to illustrate the contents. Heart to Heart, From My Heart to Your Heart: The Stories Behind the Songs of Evelyn L. Smith tells the stories behind the songs she has written. Beginning with the first song written in 1979, many are inspired by her struggle with OCD. She begins the introduction to the book with Romans 8:28. "All things work together for good for them that love the Lord, who are called according to his purpose." This verse is illustrated throughout the book. Indeed, it is the foundation.

Evelyn's OCD first manifested itself in 1976, after the birth of her first child. She was hospitalized in 1985. They didn't do cognitive-behavior therapy, nor behavior modification. But, remarkably, she seemed to recognize the need for it herself. With the help of another patient, she exposed herself to things she considered contaminated. It helped, but not much because it wasn't continued. When she went home, OCD returned with a vengeance.

A turning point came in1987. She recognized her symptoms while watching 20/20 on television. She called the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation after seeing their number on the show and received further information from them. You can visit their website at www.ocfoundation.org. The only medication available in the United States in 1987 was Anafranil, and that was through clinical trials. Because her doctors had determined she didn't need medication, she qualified for the clinical trials. "All things work together . . . " Anafranil helped, but depression was an ongoing problem. Later, Prozac, and then Paxil, gave her more relief.

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