For any subtype- when you’re doing exposures, is there a small (or maybe big) part of you that knows the fear is irrational, and does this help motivate your exposures? Or when you do them are you always mostly thinking the threat/danger is real. I feel like the threats are always real and not irrational at all. Will this hold me back from erp?

I don't know what your subtypes are, but I think with contamination and health concern (my case), it's a bit tricky if not impossible to see the "irrational" part, in a world concerned with hygiene and health, with tons of articles on how TW germs our phone is dirtier than our toilet seat etc, with access to science, and during the pandemic. It's also an issue I had with my former therapist because he wanted me to recognize it was completely irrational, and I couldn't. One of the exposures we did was traumatizing to me because I feel it was just gross and unnecessary. I see the exaggeration/real extreme part of my fear/anxiety, but it's hard to recognize the irrational one. There are constant reminders that hygiene/health are important, advertisments showing germs etc. Especially for the past 2 years. But I don't think it will hold you back with the right therapist/mindset, because it goes back to the OCD common thing: accept uncertainty. It's exhausting to always think "what if this time, it really happens", I Know it, because I think it haha. I know we're not supposed to confront the thoughts, but I've been telling myself that lots of people get exposed and we're not all sick, our immune system is there, sometimes thing just happen, and I try to find a balance between hygiene and compulsions. I don't know how it is for you, but for me, my compulsions are researching, avoidance, and washing my hands (just once). I don't know what yours are, but if it's this, I think maybe it could also help you to think that it's not completely irrational BUT it IS extreme/exaggerated compared to the real life risks (for the anxiety part), and accept the uncertainty (for the OCD one). I'm doing little exposures and it's slowly getting better. Some things I did these past few days I could not have done 3 weeks ago. Don't give up!!! Sorry for the long answer, it's just because I went through the exact same thing and I had the exact same thought of "..but this is not irrational actually"

Hi there! Great question!! For me when starting out I think that I was under too much fear to even think if something was rational or irrational. However, after doing ERP and getting some of my anxiety down I did finally start to slightly see the irrational parts. Which helped start ending the anxiety sooner because I would realize I no longer believed the thought and so it had no hold on me. Some ERP even takes exposures to an irrational place. Like If you have fear of running off the road when driving an exposure would be to carry out that thought to the extreme and for me this also helped seeing how irrational thoughts were. I think also getting to a point of understanding and believing that thoughts are just thoughts is a turning point. We all start somewhere, just keep on keeping on, you can do this! ps. OCD is the "doubting" disorder so I'd also say that OCD is trying to make you doubt that you can be helped because of the content of this thought.