6.4a The Hairdryer in the Handbag Solution
A novel solution to anxiety. The story goes like this:
A woman was seeing a therapist for anxiety and OCD. The compulsion she struggled most with was checking her hairdryer was unplugged because she was anxious about leaving it on and burning down the house. She was chronically late to, and constantly leaving work to due to compulsively checking her hairdryer. This woman was on the verge of losing her job.
Previous therapists had focused on trying to get this woman to work through her anxiety and stop giving into her compulsions. It hadn't worked, and she was at her wits end with her job at risk.
The woman went to speak to a new therapist, expecting much of the same advice as before. Instead, the therapist surprised her by suggesting something new; put the hairdryer in her handbag.
If the hairdryer was in her handbag then it couldn't burn down the house, and it would be much easier and quicker to check since her handbag would be in her car or locker at work.
The previous therapists had failed because they were too focused on solutions that made the woman look normal. Because honestly, it's a bit bananas to keep your hairdryer in yous handbag. But this simple solution allowed the woman to minimise the impact her anxiety and OCD had on her life, and gave her the time to work on the root cause.
If it works it doesn't matter if it's normal. Put your hairdryer in your handbag.