Jeffrey M. Schwartz is an American psychiatrist and researcher in the field of neuroplasticity and its application to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).^[1][2] He is a proponent of mind/body dualism and appeared in the 2008 film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, in which he told interviewer Ben Stein that science should not be separated from religion.^[2][3][4][5]

Brain lock

Brain lock is a term coined by Schwartz to describe obsessive-compulsive behavior. His 1997 book Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior outlines the disorder and its treatment.^[6][7] In the book Schwartz claims that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a result of a bio-chemical imbalance that "locks" brain functions into an obsessive-compulsive pattern and that OCD can be self-treated by following four steps:^[8][9]

1. Relabel the obsessive thoughts and compulsive urges as obsessions and compulsions, not as real thoughts.
2. Reattribute the obsessive thoughts to a brain malfunction called OCD.
3. Refocus on a wholesome, productive activity for at least fifteen minutes.
4. Revalue the entire obsession and compulsion group as having no useful meaning in your life.

Publications

Books

• Jeffrey Schwartz and Beverly Beyette, Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior, New York: Regan Books, 1997. ISBN 0-06-098711-1.^[10]
• Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley, The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force, New York: Regan Books, 2002. ISBN 0-06-039355-6.
• Jeffrey Schwartz, You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life, New York: Avery, 2011. ISBN 1-58333-426-2.

Articles

• Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P., and Beauregard, M. (2004). The volitional influence of the mind on the brain, with special reference to emotional self-regulation, in Beauregard, M. (Ed.), Consciousness, emotional self-regulation, and the brain, Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company, chapter 7. ISBN 90-272-5187-8.
• Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P., and Beauregard, M. (2005). Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: A neurophysical model of mind-brain interaction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 360(1458):1309-27. Full paper
• Schwartz, J. M., Gulliford, E. Z., Stier, J., and Thienemann, M. (2005). Mindful Awareness and Self-Directed Neuroplasticity: Integrating psychospiritual and biological approaches to mental health with a focus on obsessive compulsive disorder, in Mijares, S. G., and Khalsa, G. S. (Eds.), The Psychospiritual Clinician's Handbook: Alternative methods for understanding and treating mental disorders, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Reference Press, chapter 13. ISBN 0-7890-2324-5.