- Date posted
- 2y ago
Contamination OCD
Is there another treatment for OCD than ERP ? I really can't support ERP that hurts I got a lot of panic attacks and can't deal with them
Is there another treatment for OCD than ERP ? I really can't support ERP that hurts I got a lot of panic attacks and can't deal with them
ERP involves sitting with the fear and being uncomfortable with being uncomfortable finding tools to get past the fear not avoid it. ALso ACT is used in treating OCD and CBT to help focus on doing the ERP not to minimize reduce or avoid anxiety. It is hard work but the gold standard of treatment for OCD. You gradually work your way up a hierarchy on step at a time doing ERP. Don't let ocd keep your from doing therapy you can do this. reach out for the support you need. Our care time can provide support and also talk with y our therapist about your concerns you have about doing erp.
I’ve heard that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is another type of therapy that can be used for OCD!
Thank you. I will search for it
I'm doing ACT as a supplement to ERP. The only way to face your OCD is facing the fear. It doesn't matter which therepuetic model you use. Its scary and hard and can be very discouraging, but its possible!
If the ERP is giving you panic attacks dial down the intensity and frequency.
ERP worked if you stick with it. Start small. If you have to wash your hands after touching something. Give yourself 30 seconds before washing. Then a minute and keep challenging yourself until you can go without washing your hands. ERP is about baby steps working towards a bigger goal.
I have searched many years for treatment as ERP has been very difficult for my contamination ocd as well. ERP really is the gold standard to achieve recovery. You need to make a hierarchy of challenging yet manageable tasks, where you earn victories…then work your way up. I am still working through this process. It’s fantastic that we have the research to support the effectiveness of ERP…but , unfortunately for us sufferers, the only way past this is to trudge through it. Start small…for example, if you wash your hands a lot, try to cut of 5 seconds. Whatever it takes to achieve small wins will build your confidence. You are stronger than you know!!😊
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
I don't know what to do, my hands have become so numb and bruised because of constant washing hands, i have started hating each and every furniture around me, beacuse i feel they are not clean although they are being cleaned regularly but i cannot stop these thoughts. I clean my phone, bluetooth, charger with wet wipes each day, i don't touch any object around me, i am not being able to focus on my studies or anything else because of my ocd ihave stopped going out, everyone around me is so fed up of me. I have consulted so many therapists and been taking ayurvedic supplements too but nothing works. It is getting worse and worse, please if anybody can suggest me how to overcome these thoughts!
What ERP or other techniques do you use to combat fear of cancelation? Especially curious about those with taboo thoughts, false memory ocd and event ocd based off of real events where the fear of cancellation may actually hold some validity. I once did my own ERP not under a therapist but just on my own I decided to create an anonymous account on Twitter and defend a friend who was receiving online criticism. I knew that this would be semi-controversial so I was expecting backlash and when I recieved troll replies it actually seemed to be a really helpful low-stakes exposure activity. Is this something that others have done? Low stakes online posts etc. that you know will recieve negative responses? I have had severe OCD as a kid as pretty much every subtype under the sun, and as an adult I pretty much have all the types under control except for this real event and false memory and taboo thought OCD. It seems like a different beast since it's somewhat realistic in the camcellation culture today, and it's confusing to address. Ive shut down almost all social accounts and it's keeping me from progressing in a career where I need to have an online presence :/
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