I would like to thank all involved for making this project possible. I begin by thanking my husband, Richard J. McClendon, for his unfailing love and support for me personally and for my professional endeavors. Plainly stated, if something is important to me, it is important to him. For that I am eternally grateful! Working in the OCD-scrupulosity field is a unique and demanding enterprise. At times I am preoccupied, distracted, or fully absorbed with this mission I have undertaken. Richard has never missed a beat nor ever complained about any inconvenience or sacrifice my work has required of him. He continually counsels and guides me in my various professional projects. Additionally, I am grateful to Richard for his help on this project specifically. He has repeatedly reviewed possible book titles and chapter drafts and has helped with preliminary chapter editing.

I also thank my two older daughters, Katja and Chloe, now college students, for their support. They are often the first to announce my projects on social media, always with some comment about how proud they are of me and how cool they think I am. The tremendous sentiment expressed in these gestures, that a middle-aged mom could be considered cool by her Gen Z daughters, is not lost on me!

My younger children, Truman, William, and Elliet Grace, have provided major support for my client work as well as for the production of this book. I thank them as well. Although I am dedicated to taking care of them and their needs when they are home, they know that when they are at school, I work to serve the community. In every prayer uttered by these children, whether it be one of their own personal prayers as they leave for school or get ready for bed, or in a family prayer after scripture study or before a meal, they always pray for both Mom’s clients and her book. I believe that many of the tender and inspiring first-person accounts, as well as some of the content I was prompted to include, must have been influenced by the tremendous faith of these dear children.

The choice to write this book was not an easy one for me. I had written and published another 400-plus page book previously (Commitment to the Covenant: Strengthening the Me, We, and Thee of Marriage, coauthored with my husband) and had decided I would not write another one. The workload and the stress of writing and publishing a long manuscript were not unknown to me. The need to balance that tremendous workload with my family and chronic health issues also weighed heavily on me as I considered the project. My dear sister-in-law and friend, Susan Theobald, always my wise counselor, played a substantial role in my ultimate decision to pursue the project. In her life, Susan lovingly prioritizes service to others, even when that service is difficult or inconvenient for her. I have been a grateful recipient of her service throughout my life. Many of my choices to serve throughout my life and career have been influenced by her impressive example. The choice to write this book was with full understanding of the costs—and yet, thanks to Susan’s mentorship throughout my life, I decided the possible benefits to others far outweighed any costs. I am also grateful to her for her patient listening ear and sound advice, as well as her help with brainstorming book titles and reviewing my drafts.

I believe wholeheartedly that the first-person accounts my psychotherapy clients and others share with you in this book are the best things in it! Nothing I can ever say will rival the inspiring messages of faith, hope, courage, consistency, and tenacity you will read in these contributions. I dearly thank each for their willingness to have their tender stories and insights shared with you. Additionally, I thank each of the clients I work with in psychotherapy, whether appearing in this book or not, for honoring me with the privilege of joining them in their sacred journey through scrupulosity. I am in awe of you!

I also express gratitude to the BYU Religious Studies Center and their team, led by publications director Jared Ludlow, for publishing this important, although perhaps unusual, content. Their willingness to publish this real-world material, despite its stories that include explicit harshness and pain, is commendable and demonstrates their desire to create publications that will prove meaningful and transformative in the lives of their readers. I am grateful to Jared Ludlow for conducting the peer review of the initial manuscript. I also thank Carmen Durland Cole, senior graphic designer, for her engaging page layouts, typesetting, and beautiful book cover design. I am also particularly grateful for the wonderful editing of the manuscript done by senior editor Don Brugger and his editing student intern Emma Taylor. Their thoughtful approach to the work and Don’s communication with me over many iterations provided valuable feedback that has greatly improved the presentation. This included a decision to keep a large portion of substantive material in the appendix that will be undoubtedly interesting and useful to many readers.

Lastly, I also want to offer thanks to those of you choosing to read this work. If you struggle with scrupulosity yourself, I acknowledge the tremendous courage it takes for you to choose to spend your time reading a book that you know will likely trigger you in very uncomfortable and even painful ways. And yet I am excited for you to do so, because I also believe you will find validation of your struggles as you learn from the research, connect with the stories of others who also struggle, and learn how you can productively work through the anxiety and pain to find the hope and healing you desire. I believe that with this book you can begin, or continue the therapeutic journey you have already begun, to find emotional and spiritual freedom! May God bless you for your courage.