Traig is fearlessly honest regarding her behaviors, such as tirelessly scrubbing her hands before dinner, washing all of her clothes due to the fear that they became tainted with pork fumes, and avoiding all places to sit in the house out of concern that someone that had pork on them sat there at one time. It’s important to remember that Traig grew up in the 80’s when there was next to nothing in regards to treatment for this particular disorder. As a therapist, I’ve worked with several clients with OCD, some more severe than others. Prior to reading this book, I didn’t know anything about scrupulosity. The Hebrew religion did provide some salvation for her as “the greatest thing about having so many laws was that you could pick and choose, and move on to the next when the last lost its magic.” Deciding to follow the Hebrew path with its multitude of laws, Traig soon learns that following this particular religion is nearly impossible with someone that has scrupulosity. Combined with a divided family (her father was Hebrew and her mother a Catholic) leads itself to severe behaviors that plagued her throughout childhood and into her teens. Traig suffered from a specific form of OCD known as scrupulosity, pathological guilt relating to moral or religious issues. It has actually been a few years since I read this one myself, and I thought it would make a great followup to Homer’s Odyssey as I’ve been wanting to share more of my wife’s favorites on this blog too.ĭevil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood chronicles the author’s childhood struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I remember often waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of her laughter when she reads this one. Devil in the Details by Jennifer Traig probably takes the award for the book she has read the most. Time to make another selection from my wife’s bookshelves.

Devil in the details by jennifer traig