|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 12:41:50 GMT -5
- This book has been mentioned inside other threads, but I thought it should have a thread of its own. book title:
"Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring"authors: Michael A. TOMPKINS and Tamara L. HARTL Published November 2009 by New Harbinger ISBN-10: 1572245948 ISBN-13: 978-1572245945
The forward to the book was written by hoarding researchers/authors/professors Randy Frost & Gail Steketee. You can read the forward at amazon www.amazon.com/dp/1572245948by clicking on the book cover and going to the beginning of the book. The forward by Frost & Steketee indicates that this book is for frustrated/hopeless loved ones of hoarders. It is designed to help the loved ones understand the hoarders perspective. The forward indicates that the book will lay out REALISTIC suggestions for the loved ones ... which might at first seem tiny/slow/difficult/tedious/frustrating to the loved ones ... but would nonetheless be more effective than shouting at the hoarder. Quote: " a must-read for people who care about their family member who hoards" Unquote.
Quote from the introduction to the book --
Introduction by the authors themselves Tompkins and Hartl:
You can read the table of contents at amazon by clicking on the book cover. Most of the chapters are written for family members. NOTE: Of special interest to those of us who are SOS members and are squalorers/hoarders ourselves ... Chapters 9 and 10: Chapter 9 has a section on "when people who hoard live together". Also in Chapter 9: reducing harm (making it safe) for those who are frail. Chapter 10 is all about emergencies -- When the Landlord Knocks, Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, Evictions, Health and Safety Codes, etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 12:43:41 GMT -5
- About the authors:Michael A. Tompkins, PhD.is a cognitive behavioral therapist at the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy his personal bio: www.sfbacct.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=55the center's method of treating hoarding: www.sfbacct.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=70Michael A. Tompkins is listed as Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Psychology "Clinical Science" program for the University of California at Berkeley psychology.berkeley.edu/graduate/cl_teaching_faculty.html
Tamara L. Hartl, PhD( her surname is HARTL ) She is a cognitive behavioral therapist.
In the mid-1990s, in her younger years, she was a student of Dr. Randy Frost. She has assisted with some of his research on hoarding. In 1996, Frost and Hartl provided the first modern systematic definition of hoarding, in their article in "Behaviour Research and Therapy", identifying three characteristics: Quote: "(1) the acquisition of, and failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value; (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed; and (3) significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding." Unquote. -- Randy Frost and Tamara Hartl, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 34, Issue 4, April 1996, Pages 341-350 Tamarl L. Hartl now works in coordination with the Pacific Anxiety Group here: www.pacificanxietygroup.com/tam-hartl-phd/Pacific Anxiety Group's page on how their cognitive behavioral therapy works: www.pacificanxietygroup.com/cbt/Tamara L. Hartl's private practice is here: www.drtamarahartl.net/
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 13:15:04 GMT -5
- Reviews and Press Releases:excerpt from a blurb
-- blurb found on author Michael Tompkins' website:
excerpt from blurb from publisher via Amazon.com:
review posted by: Carol A Mathews M.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry Co-Director, Anxiety Disorders Clinic University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine excerpt from Dr. Carol Matthews' review (as posted on Michael Tompkins' website):
A couple of reviews referred to helping loved ones who have "serious clutter issues" (in addition to helping loved ones who hoard).
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 13:22:27 GMT -5
-
Disclaimer:
I myself, Lioness, have NOT read the book.
I'm just quoting stuff I found online,
so take it all with a few grains of salt.
I started the thread because the book has been mentioned on other threads, and someone asked more about the authors. So I googled the authors and posted here.
-
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris on Apr 17, 2010 14:03:16 GMT -5
Hi  I have been reading this book at a slow pace. I got it because both my husband and I are hoarders of varied degree. We've been "digging out" for 10 years now so we may not appear to be people with a serious hoarding issue but we both really struggle with over acquiring, me thru shopping, him thru getting free stuff and neither of us discard things automatically in a way others would define as normal  . I view my work in the book as helping myself and my husband. I know this one is written primarily for family members. I still find it very helpful. The whole concept of harm reduction actually really interested me that's why I bought the book. I thought (and still do) that it could be used across many other areas like over eating and over spending. To be honest I'm too new to the book to really review it at this point but that will change as I get further into it. I'm started the 3rd chapter now. It might be too soon to say this, but right at this point I have the feeling that I like Buried in Treasures better for self help on the issue. I am finding that this book really is geared toward helping another who has a hoarding problem. And in that regard it helps me understand my husbands struggle (I feel he has a worse degree of struggle with it) and my motherinlaw who has a far worse degree of hoarding than he does -- and mostly it teaches that we must "let go" in terms of trying to control or take over and help (much like codependents learn that they can not get a loved one sober) -- however, this is early on for me to make such a general impression about the book -- I'm still hopeful and thinking it will help me and my husband (and his mom is temporarily living with us so thats 3 hoarders in one roof) and we need all the help we can get!  More later! |
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 16:45:14 GMT -5
- At the risk of sounding stupid (as I haven't read the book) ... I'm responding to the marketing of the book ... Some thoughts ... Despite the fact that the book is being marketed as "for loved ones of hoarders" ... the actual TITLE of the book includes "clutter" and "acquiring" (not just hoarding). They seem to be writing it for loved ones of hoarders/clutterers/aquirers who are in denial. Or for loved ones ones of hoarders/clutterers/aquirers who can't/won't change. I was just reading the "Stages of Change" again: takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=6766Perhaps they are marketing the book towards loved ones of people who are still in "precontemplation" or "contemplation"? And therefore the book is focused on ways to the make the home more physically "safe" (i.e. less dangerous). Moving things so that piles won't fall on on the hoarder-clutterer. Reassessing food so that the hoarder-clutterer won't get food poisoning. Making clear pathways so that the hoarder-clutterer doesn't trip and fall. Focusing on the most dire health and safety needs first. This is called "harm reduction". They seem to be assuming that that is all that the hoarder-clutterer would be able to handle -- if the hoarder-clutterer is yet not ready to dehoard. Quote from publisher blurb:They're saying it's NOT for those of us who are actively clearing out. BUT ... It occurs to me that some of us here at SOS, who are in deep squalor or deep hoarding ... with large piles and very little room ... could benefit from the book, too, even if we are already in the "preparation" or "action" stages. Because we would need to do the "harm reduction" piece of the process first, just to be able to move safely. Once we had the most dire situations cleared, then we would have a bit of elbow room for more active dehoarding.
I know that our member Chris has already done a large part of her dehoarding, and is totally in the "action" stage. Yet Chris writes in her above post that she is still getting help from the book. This leads me to believe that the book may be more useful to our membership than the "marketing" would have you believe.
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 16:54:57 GMT -5
excerpt from a blurb
-- blurb found on author Michael Tompkins' website:
One thing that really struck me...
The authors don't use the word "hoarders".
Instead, they say "people who hoard"
or "people with a hoarding problem".
Emphasis on the PERSON first.
And that line suggesting that the loved ones of persons who hoard ... "take the focus off of that behavior and concentrate instead on the qualities they enjoy about the person"
Wow. Focus on enjoying the human being, while helping him/her to minimize safety risks in the home.
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Apr 17, 2010 17:18:58 GMT -5
- For purposes of consolidation ... Transferring from another thread: I haven't had time to read ... just arrived yesterday
DIGGING OUT Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding & Compulsive Acquiring. It was written by Michael A. Tompkins, Ph.D. and Tamara L. Hartl, Ph.D. The forward to the book was written by Randy O. Frost, Ph.D., & Gail Steketee, Ph.D.
The beauty of this book is that it focuses on "harm reduction." For example, instead of asking a hoarder, "Why do you have this?"one might ask,"Why do you have this HERE?" Thus, the emphasis isn't on get ridding of items, per se. The emphasis is on making the hoarder's home be a safer place in which to live. So, rather than try to make the person get rid of the item that is blocking a doorway, for example, one can "brainstorm" with the person about where might be a better place to put the item. Doing anything that will reduce the likelihood of trips and falls is a step in the right direction--right? Right!!
Granted this is an oversimplification of all that this book has to offer, but I wanted to point out right away what it is about this book that I think makes it different from all the other "self-help" books that are available regarding hoarding.
I've only skimmed parts of the book, here and there, but so far, I am liking what I am reading very, very much.
Arid Harm reduction works good in lots of areas. Like smoking half a cigarette instead of a whole. sounds good. Also, doing things gradually there is a more likelihood that things will stay better longer. Instant solutions tend to instantly fade away in my experience.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris on Apr 17, 2010 18:26:08 GMT -5
Yes I agree courageously lion -- I think the book has an important element to offer all of us -- in "harm reduction" -- and although I have not studied it a lot yet -- this is what I gained so far -- I gained a general understanding that what stands in the way for many of us is a sort of "perfectionist" attitude about us and with harm reduction we will learn to make our problem better even though not perfect. Apparently harm reduction started in the arena of drug abuse -- and they found that when safeguards were put in place for those who were using dangerous drugs -- the harm was reduced -- I read something about clean needles being provided -- rather than trying to stop the drug use entirely immediately. Also that stop smoking programs and the seat belt campaign along with family planning and school shot programs are examples of harm reduction in action. The premise I think is that an improvement is better than no intervention -- and that it is not necessary for people to STOP all the undesired behavior or hoarding in order for benefit to be found. I think the book is worth getting just for coming to a better understanding of harm reduction. Many of us grapple with multiple "stuff" whether addictions or problems -- and this philosophy can be applied to all the areas that we seek improvement in. It is the kind of book that I think a person with a real problem with clutter could buy and give to their mom, sister, anyone who is concerned and would like to help but has not been very helpful -- I see that as another good way it could be used. I myself have worked to educate my own mom about this as she did not believe or understand at first when I first showed her pictures and told her about the problems DH and I were having. I wish this book had been around then.  |
|
|
|
Post by bobolink on Dec 31, 2012 16:57:27 GMT -5
I've seen enough of Dr. Tompkins work to have considerable respect for him.
|
|
|
|
Post by hiding on Dec 31, 2012 18:45:47 GMT -5
The book sounds good from what y'all are saying. Since there are 2 of us Hoarders in our house, I think this book could benefit us. Thanks for telling us about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by zenavoidance on Dec 15, 2013 19:47:08 GMT -5
I am definitely described by this book! I just bought it. Here's to another positive New Year's resolution! No alcohol, exercise 5 times a week with my trainer, and get rid of the clutter and the hoarded junk.
|
|
