Did You Know That Childhood Trauma Contributes to OCD?

Independence, Missouri Oct 28, 2026 (Issuewire.com) Author Charles Rivers shares a deeply personal story of childhood trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the decades-long journey to understand the wounds that shaped his life.

What if some of the behaviors people spend a lifetime trying to control are connected to painful experiences they have spent years trying to forget?

In his powerful new memoir, WOUND, author Charles Rivers confronts a question that has shaped much of his life: What happens when the wounds of childhood follow us into adulthood, influencing the way we think, feel, trust, and experience the world?

Rivers spent more than fifty-five years carrying the silence of childhood sexual trauma. Over time, he came to recognize connections between his early experiences and the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that affected his daily life. What others might see as repetitive habits or an overwhelming need for cleanliness can, for some people, become part of a much deeper struggle involving fear, shame, and an attempt to feel safe in a world that once felt anything but safe.

His personal experience speaks to a subject receiving growing attention in psychological research. Studies have found associations between childhood maltreatment and the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, including research examining emotional and sexual abuse. Although OCD has multiple contributing factors and childhood abuse does not cause every case, understanding a person’s history may provide important context for understanding their struggles.

For Rivers, this is more than an abstract psychological question. It is the story of a childhood, a lifetime of coping, and the painful realization that surviving what happened was not the same as being free from its effects.

In WOUND, Rivers opens the door to experiences he kept hidden for decades, exploring how childhood trauma can affect identity, relationships, intimacy, trust, and the ability to experience life beyond the demands of survival. He also examines the roles of faith, forgiveness, love, and self-understanding in his journey toward healing.

The book’s message reaches beyond those living with OCD. It speaks to survivors who have never found the words to explain their experiences, to families trying to understand the lasting effects of childhood wounds, and to readers who have wondered why certain fears and behaviors remain difficult to escapeeven when the original danger is long gone.

I kept the truth buried for more than fifty-five years, Rivers shares through the story of his life. I am finally ready to tell it.

With WOUND, Rivers invites readers to look beyond the behaviors they see and consider the experiences that may lie beneath them. His story challenges the assumption that the past stays in the past and offers a deeply personal reminder that understanding our wounds can be an important step toward reclaiming our lives.

For readers who have struggled in silence, the book offers something essential: the possibility of recognizing their own experiences in someone else’s story and discovering that they are not alone.

ABOUT THE BOOK

WOUND by Charles Rivers is a personal memoir exploring childhood sexual trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, family relationships, faith, forgiveness, and the long road toward healing. Through lived experience and psychological reflection, Rivers examines the lasting effects of childhood wounds and the possibility of moving beyond survival toward a more fulfilling life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Rivers is an author, relationship counselor, and student of human psychology with more than thirty years devoted to understanding human behavior and interpersonal relationships. Through counseling, public appearances, television, and radio, he has explored the challenges that affect love, communication, and emotional well-being. In WOUND, he brings that perspective to his own story, sharing the personal struggle behind his efforts to understand trauma and OCD.

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: WOUND
Author: Charles Rivers
Format: Kindle eBook, paperback, and hardcover
Availability: Amazon.com

MEDIA CONTACT
Charles Rivers
Email: bdrpublishing1@gmail.com 
Website: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HP5DGV3H