I'm no expert on OCD, but here's my understanding of
Brainlock:
Dr Schwartz is considered a top U.S. expert on OCD, if not
the top expert in the country.
His clinic in L.A., esp. the intensive outpt program, is considered a Mecca of OCD treatment.
However,
Brainlock is considered a bit of an outlier in standard OCD treatment.
The standard non-pharm treatment is "Exposure and Response Prevention" (ERP) wherein pt's are exposed to the obsessive thought (through environmental or even imaginary exposure), then prevented from engaging in the compulsive escape/diversion strategies. Progressive incremental improvements in the degree and duration of preventing or delaying the compulsions leads to ever-decreasing time and effort spent in compulsive behaviors, thereby reducing the fear/avoidance of the obsessive thoughts by permitting the brain to dissociate the fearful stimulus (obsession) from the conditioned response (compulsion). One classic exercise is to have OCD'ers with fears of disease transmission touch a doorknob and then have to wait 2 min before washing their hands, then 3 min next week, and so on.
Brainlock focuses on re-labeling the obsessive thoughts in a way that reduces the fear of the thoughts' recurrence, thereby reducing the need for compulsions to manage that fear. (I hope I haven't offended anyone by this imprecise and over-simplified description.)
I have seen/heard high rates of success for ERP (my memory is >70%, but don't quote me) in reducing time spent in compulsions and patient distress (though not usually eradication), when administered by a trained professional. My experience (red flag for bias!) has been that the
Brainlock system only works for about 40% of patients. The others find it confusing or simply sort of pointless. However, when it works, it works WONDERS. Patients for like the
Brainlock system often report very rapid, almost miraculous reductions in distress and compulsion time. I often equate
Brainlock to buspirone. It doesn't work for that many, but when it does, it's a beautiful thing!
So, when I meet an OCD pt. who is not engaging in a behavioral therapy program, I absolutely recommend BOTH
Brainlock and my favorite book for patients about OCD and ERP treatment,
Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
