http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7113998&syndicate=syndicate&section=

In terms of showing the emotional issues hoarders face, the show is excellent. So far, the hoarders in the show are in a serious crisis. Most face eviction from their homes or the removal of their children by Social Services. Really serious stuff.

The hoarders talk about their intense feelings about the process of dismantling their “collection” into trash bags. Just as important, the show also depicts the family members and friends who have stood by and watched the piles build. They feel both helplessness and anger at their loved one who they feel love their stuff more than them.

In a recent episode, the grown daughter of a woman declared she was done helping her mother, whose “saving” led to the removal of her ailing husband from the home by Adult Services. The court said her husband could not return home until the place was cleaned, and the mother was having a difficult time parting with her stuff, most of which she purchased at garage sales.

So far, the people featured on the show worked with professional organizers and are offered therapy. Hoarding is never about the stuff and uncleaniless. It’s about the stuff in your head.

The show is heartbreaking and enlightening so be prepared for the emotional roller coaster. You’ll also have a sudden urge to throw away something — anything.

Check out the show by looking at A&E’s website for rerun times or watch episodes and clips online. The website also features resources for hoarders and their families.

But a funny thing happened when I started packing. Certain things, which had traveled to several apartments with me during my adult life, suddenly no longer seemed worthy of moving on. If I was moving to another apartment, these items would have made the cut as they have had before. In the light of moving into a HOUSE — and not just any house, my FIRST HOUSE, some stuff just seemed too dowdy, too apartment-ish, too unhip. For the first time in my life, I will have a home that I can truly put my personal stamp on. The large decorating notebook, stuffed with photos, paint chips and pictures collected over the years, has seen sunlight and again spurred my imagination. What is my style? What do I really like? What colors am I going to paint the walls?

A few of my soon to be departed things also represent an end of an era, as the saying goes. When I left the Oklahoma prairies and moved to Galveston Island, I was 22, fresh out of college, and ready to conquer the world. One of the Egyptian metal plates, hung in every apartment kitchen I’ve had, was given to me by Josie, a woman who lived in my first apartment complex. The rest were found at garage sales that Josie and I went to a few times. She taught me one secret about shopping garage sales and junk stores. “No matter what color it is, you can always paint it black,” she counseled. And that’s what I did to furniture found in various Galveston County junk shops.

The Egyptian plates served their purpose in my decorating life, but they have become more a habit these days than loved objects. It’s time for them to go. Once I realized that our relationship was over, I discovered other relationships with things in my apartment were also ending.  Knowing certain things were leaving after so many years didn’t make me sad, unhappy or anxious. I felt like a mentor who knows their student is ready to face the world and go out on their own. It was simply time for them to go.  I have to move on to my future house and home. My old stuff has to move on too. We all have new adventures out there.

As the show’s stars worked with the couple, the couple seemed to hold onto more things than they gave up. In fact, the show’s staff had to rent a warehouse to hold all of the plastic boxes full of the items they kept. In the end, any items not used in the decor of the house were kept in the plastic totes and neatly stacked in the renovated attic office space. The couple saw their newly decorated office stacked with the tote boxes. They realized how much stuff they were holding onto. It was a tough message.

Sometimes we hold onto too much. I remember a woman who admitted to being a hoarder telling me how she couldn’t evacuate for a hurricane. She couldn’t decide what to take with her and what to leave behind if she evacuated. Since she could not decide, she stayed home during the hurricane.

As you go through your home, look at your stuff like it was on a national TV show. Suddenly, you may decide what is really important and what is not. If you need help dealing with your feelings, find a therapist. To help you with the stuff, find a professional organizer through the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. These organizers are certified to work with hoarding issues.

Apparently this is not an unusual story. Another professional organizer told me firefighters have told her about issues walking through homes with clutter and boxes. Also in the news this month, two people died in their respective homes because their piles fell on them.

As you can see, chronic disorganization is a hazard to you and your family, but there is help. When looking for a professional organizer through the National Association of Professional Organizers, look for those who specialize in chronic disorganization and hoarding. An organizer who specializes in these areas should have certificates of study from the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. A list of NSGCD-certified organizers is posted on the group’s site.

Dr. Randy Frost, who has studied chronic disorganization and hoarding behaviors, co-authored the book Buried in Treasures. This book provides a great deal of insight and suggestions.

There is hope to create a safe home for you and your family.