Jackie Lea Sommers is a young adult author who lives in Minnesota, where the people are nice and the Os are long. She is the 2013 winner of the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. Her first novel Truest will be published by HarperCollins in September 2015.
Jackie grew up on a hobby farm but has made the Twin Cities her home for nearly 15 years after moving there to study creative writing at the University of Northwestern. She hates OCD, horcruxes, and Minnesota winters. She loves Jesus, Augustus Waters, and Minnesota springs.
JACKIE LEA SOMMERS 
wow really cool 🙂 i think you really helped my ocd.
even though theres much science info on the web on ocd i feel that this stuff helps best. For me the “just resist” stuff they tell didnt work that well :/. but yeah its a lier, knowing that helps lot.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Kiri, and for taking a minute to leave a message! There’s a lot of info on my website about exposure and response prevention therapy, the best treatment for OCD. Blessings on you!
Jackie, In really, really need help. I am an attorney and have had a problem with OCD and hyper-perfectionism, procrastination and motivation. I am not lazy, but am ashamed because I had to go on SSDI due to a fall from a true while cutting limbs and a lengthy period of recovery. Recently, I broke my back again. I have done ERP at Vanderbilt for a different type of OCD and it worked. It was exhausting , scary, but well worth it. But the disease did its waxing and waning and found its way back approximately 20 years ago. I want to go on with my life as an attorney or CPA or professor or social worker or professor of bioethics, but the OCD is stopping me. I spoke with a psychologist in Palm Beach Florida who does nothing butperfectionism and ocd. he said he could not treat me because I am in ky. I have been petrified that because this has been going on for about 20 years, there was not hope of controlling it. however, it very firmly reassured me that the same type of ERP that led to my recovery at Vanderbilt would do so again, with the obvious hard work, anxiety and tiring evenings. HOWEVER, I AM WILLING TO DO IT. IT IS TIME TO LIVE AGAIN AND WORK AND HOPEFULLY TEACH AND HELP OTHERS LIKE ME. Is there any way that you could give me ERP? Please call me at your convenience at 859 270-6193. so that we can discuss possibile treatment, if any. thanks for caring for those of us who still suffer. I look forward to speaking with you. bobby Reynolds k859 270-6193
Hi Bobby,
Thank you so much for your message. I’m so sorry to hear that things have been so hard for you for a while now. While I’d love to help you, I’m not actually a therapist. I’m simply an author who has undergone successful ERP treatment. Books like Stop Obsessing by Edna Foa and Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jonathan Grayson will help you do self-guided ERP though! Or you could look into going to an in-patient treatment program for a while. Or explore the idea of doing Skype therapy with an ERP therapist (I have another blog reader who is doing this). I really wish I could help you more, but I’m simply not a therapist. Blessings on you, friend!
Jackie, I am a fellow Christ-follower and Obsessive-Compulsive! I appreciate you taking the time to share your advice and your talent for writing with the world via your blog. I am sure God has, and will continue to use you to impact the lives of many people for the good! Thanks for your efforts to remove the stigma of OCD – even simply posting about it makes a difference! I’m glad we’re both on the side of the Almighty God. We know how the story ends! Until Satan is defeated once and for all, we keep on working for the Lord in all we do, be it by writing a blog or being a witness to friends and teammates in college (I’m currently a sophomore). I’ll be keeping you in my prayers… -Carly
Hello Carly! Thanks so much for your message! It was a lovely breath of fresh air in my very busy evening and a great reminder to me of how the story ends. Victory in Jesus, amen!
Hey Jackie I stumbled across your blog through looking up HOCD. This is my first time writing this. I starting to experience this HOCD when I couldn’t perform for my girlfriend two weekends ago. It started by me asking myself, did I lose my attractiveness to her or did I just lost all attractiness to girls all together. Ever since then the only thought popped in my mind was was I becoming gay? I had a weeks worth of torture with panic attacks and pacing myself back and fourth, while losing sleep after that. But strange thing is that this is the first time that it has happened. I never gone through this before. Did I just over did it? Because of something so small that everyone goes through? Lately right now I’ve actually haven’t had any panic or anxiety attacks of my thoughts because I don’t fear them anymore but the usual thoughts are still there. Any help would be very much appreciated 🙂 don’t know if this is the place to post my story but just thought I give this a chance since I don’t really reach out through the internet like I used to
Hi David,
Thanks for your message. If this deep-seated anxiety over your sexual orientation persists, you might be dealing with HOCD, and the best treatment is exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP)! I hope you’ll read up about it on my blog. There are a lot of posts about it!
Thanks for the reply 🙂 when I hear the word gay or homosexual (specially now) I’ve been slowly getting over the fact its just a word and wouldn’t give me triggers. I don’t know if that’s me in the process of recovering because the things that fear me before haven’t been really giving me no episodes of getting panic attacks or aniexty. I been reading the post about HOCD and they really speak to me because I didn’t know something like this even exists. So far I’ve been getting sleep and been waking up with alright moods. I did mention that the thoughts are still there but not enough to make me to go into panic mood. I really appreciate that you are taking the time to read my post because its something that really caught me off guard honestly. Thanks again 🙂
My pleasure! If this does keep bothering you, go to a professional to be diagnosed with OCD and then attack it with ERP therapy!
Will do 🙂 I’m actually going to see a psychiatrist next Friday. So hoping that will help me out with what I been going through. I’ve been noticing some improvement in myself in terms of looking at my thoughts and say to myself “you know what? This doesn’t really excite me or that doesn’t interest me one bit.” with the EPR I go in with not really telling myself let’s see if this gives me a spike, I actually just go in and boom nothing. Now lately I been getting images in my head of my girlfriend in a wedding dress smiling and when I see that it brings me warmth and comfort :). With all of this that has been going on I started to get closer with my girlfriend then ever before. We laugh more and we started to just be ourselves again. I really like it and it brings a smile to my face. :). I just start looking at my problem (not able to perform) and I keep wondering why did I made it a big deal? But to end this I just want to say thanks for hearing me out and hope to update you with my slow progress of recovery 🙂 glad to find your blog you seem like a very nice and caring person all around 🙂
Oops ERP I mean haha 😛
Hello Jackie! I have been given the Liebster Award, which means I get to nominate 11 other bloggers. I really appreciate your writing, and I’d like to nominate you. Participation is optional. Thanks for being an awesome writer.
http://benjaminbrede.com/2014/06/11/the-liebster-award/
Hi Jackie! 🙂
I have nominated you for the One Lovely Blog – Very Inspiring Blog Award! Please visit the below page if you would like to accept it–and thank you for your beautiful writing!
http://crystalknauss.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/my-first-awards/
Blessings,
Crystal
Hey, Jackie I have have some concerns.. I’m 20 years old and I’ve never before questioned my sexuality. But since this summer I started seeing a guy and we live far apart and so when I wasn’t getting what I needed I turned to masterbating and now I’m feeling awkard and confused about my sexuality. I don’t want to be a lesiban by no means I love being heterosexual and never wanted it any other way but it’s like now my mind is telling me I dont want to be straight and I hate this feeling.. i need advice. Is this hocd or I’m just really confused or a latent lesiban.
Hi Karen! Nope, you don’t sound like a lesbian at all. Read my posts about HOCD at http://www.jackieleasommers.com/OCD!
hi jackie i m guy ,, i m having same feeling as u ever had,, bt dnt knw hot to get ovr from it
Hi friend, I think you’re referring to OCD! There is freedom from OCD through exposure therapy, which you can learn all about at http://www.jackieleasommers.com/OCD!
It’s been some time since I last wrote and read blogs. You have quite a thing going here. Keep up the good work.
Awww, thanks, Tony! It’s been so long!!
How would you handle the fear that ERP won’t work? And if it were to work, how would I go on with life knowing that OCD could always come back?
Hi Drew, can you submit your question through my ASK ME ANYTHING link on my home page? It’s my policy not to engage in one on one conversations about OCD anymore!
Hi Jackie,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Jackie Lea Sommers | OCD Mental Illness has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 50 OCD Blogs on the web.
http://blog.feedspot.com/ocd_blogs/
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 OCD Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.
Best,
Anuj
Pleasure meeting you. Love the blog.