Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Collecting

While most of us find it relatively easy to manage our possessions, a large number of people find it extremely difficult. If you have a problem resisting the urge to acquire and you find your home filled to capacity with items many people would find useless and unnecessary, you may suffer from a condition known as compulsive hoarding. Compulsive hoarding is a behavioural problem consisting of excessive clutter, a difficulty discarding items, and excessive buying or other acquiring. Hoarding is often associated with significant reduction in the quality of life, and in extreme cases it can pose serious health risks. If you or a loved one has a compulsive hoarding problem, this book can help. Buried in Treasures is written by the scientists who have worked for over a dozen years to develop a scientifically-based and effective program for treating compulsive hoarding. This book outlines a program of skill-building, learning to think about possessions in a different way, and gradual challenges to help people who hoard manage their clutter, and their lives. It also provides useful information for family members and friends of people who hoard, as they struggle to understand and help. Learn to identify the "bad guys" that cause and maintain your hoarding behaviour and meet the "good guys" who can help motivate you and put you on the path to change. Useful self-assessments will help you determine the severity of your problem, and training exercises, case examples, organising tips, and motivation boosters help change the way you think and behave towards your possessions. This book provides easy-to-understand strategies and techniques that anyone can use.