The "answer," if we can call it that, is sometimes simpler than you think.

Most therapists love the intellectual tussle of therapy. We love grafting our interpretations onto our patients' problems, linking upbringing to schemas (or expectations of others) to specific interpretations of the world. We love being able to tell people what they're really doing and why.

As helpful as this aspect of treatment can be, there's another that can sometimes be even more effective (at least at times). And that is to follow a patient's natural inclinations—that is, doing the things they just want to do.

For example, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an extraordinarily obstinate illness, against which reason often can't seem to penetrate. Despite therapists' pleas to attempt to live life with uncertainty and to try to work out conclusions while reminding themselves of the illusion of infallible truths, patients, nonetheless, cycle between relief and fixation.

So, we ask: What is it that seems to........

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