- Date posted
- 1y
- Date posted
- 1y
I can see why this would cause a lot of fear and anxiety. OCD is a difficult thing to do, and sometimes it feels like you have to force yourself to do it. May I ask what you mean by saying that you are resistant?
- Date posted
- 1y
I also have contamination OCD and I'm aware of how debilitating it can be. I recently started ERP again after several years. I too was anxious about starting it again because I thought it would somehow trigger me more. However, it hasn't. It is making me play an active roll in my treatment. We all deserve to live lives where OCD doesn't rule us. Please consider trying ERP. Best wishes to you!
- Date posted
- 1y
I absolutely get you! I have had severe OCD around chemicals and as you I read articles and safety protocols - wow that's the worst thing you can do!!! You feed your OCD and dig a deep hole for yourself. I also thought I was resistant to ERP because my fears were "real"- I thouut I was more aware than other people... I will tell you: you aren't resistant to ERP! As I understand you, this wasn't a problem in the beginning, but "lately, I have developed..." and then you have collected a lot of "facts" and scared yourself by doing compulsions/avoidance. Before you began with those behaviours it was no problem, am I right? You have to go back to the way you lived before this fear showed up! Search treatment - I did. It really helps to bteak these unhealthy patterns, if you ate willing to change your way of living. You know the paradox, you try to protect your life, but you only destroy it by listening to OCD. Search help now.
- Date posted
- 1y
Another thing I learned in ERP: you can never argue your way out of this mess! But when you (on your own, or with the help of a therapist) begin to touch and use objects you have avoided for long your brain will adjust and with time you will see that "it was ridicolus, it was OCD all the way..." There is hope! You don't have to live in this nightmare.
- Date posted
- 1y
You are heard, and I totallt get you!! I have been in similar circumstances and also reported things I have experienced as unsafe...never been taken seriously... My heart aches for you, I know the mental prison and the conviction that there is no help because of the "real danger" At the end of the day you have to ask yourself: is it worth it? Why not take the risks and maybe live a shorter but happier life? My English isn't perfect, it's not my native language...but I hope I can spread a bit of hope to you and know that I have been where you are.
- Date posted
- 1y
I get you and you aren't triggering me at all. I also have had those fears of hurting other people, this high sense of responsibilty. Anyway, it doesn't matter, and you know, in the long run, we destroy our relationships with our excessive behaviour and safety rituals. So it's no "excuse" to let OCD run the show. I am glad if you feel seen and heard, and I do wish that you will search treatment so you can live a happier life!
- Date posted
- 1y
Comment deleted by user
- Date posted
- 1y
My favourite "people" on the way: Jenna Overbaugh, Kimberley Quinlan, Reid Wilson, Jon Hershfield, Ethan Smith
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
So I have pretty intense contamination OCD tied to Moral/Real event OCD, and I'm having a hard time with it because part of me does genuinely believe my logic checks out, and I was hoping to get some insight as to how to change the way I see it from other people who sort of get the mindset involved :). To sum it up as well as I can, I basically have a very souped-up version of the same item-event association most people have. For example, let's say you have a HORRIBLE, GOD AWFUL relationship with a person you can't even begin to think of favorably even years after the event. They had gotten you a stuffed animal for your anniversary at some point. You finally "escape" the relationship, and you throw away the stuffed animal. This is seen as a very normal and sound-of-mind action. Here's where things get tricky: For me, throwing out that stuffed animal wouldn't be enough. After all, it touched my table didn't it? And my table touched the floor right? And these things now carry that person's germs. And if I don't get rid of them, then they'll infect my future belongings. This logic isn't entirely flawed either, as even my OCD specialist said he believes in a "weaker version of what I do". How am I supposed to convince myself that what I'm believing is false when the literal psychologist confirmed that what I'm doing is just a more in-depth version of a normal experience? Ex: I have a new outfit, fresh and clean. I'm unbothered and happy, but I knick the side of a table. The table holds awful associations. I get this awful sense of dread. The clothes are now somewhat sullied, and I'll eventually have to give them away. I don't think I'm explaining this as well as I could, but I feel like those notions are there. Anyways, does anyone have any insight as to how to get my mind to genuinely believe that interacting with these things is "safe"?
- Date posted
- 22w
(long read ahead, sorry lol) I’ve struggled with ocd for as far back as I can remember. I find that it gets worse with stress, and recently I’ve really been struggling with the contamination aspect of my ocd. I’m worried about it becoming unmanageable and negatively affecting my relationship with my partner. I’ve been living with my boyfriend since January (got kicked out of my house a week after I turned 18, it’s for the better though my house is toxic as hell) and I love living with him, but him and his family aren’t as concerned with cleaning as I am used to. My boyfriend and I have been together going on 2 years and there’s been many times throughout our relationship that his struggle with depression severely impacted his ability to keep up with cleaning his room. This is something I completely understand because I’ve struggled with it too so i’ve often helped him clean, and since i’ve moved in he’s done so much better at keeping up with cleaning (especially because he knows about my issues with clutter, mess, germs, etc.) He is really good at being accommodating towards my needs (not overly so, i’m aware that recovering includes accepting being uncomfortable), but it’s so hard for me to differentiate between what is the normal standard for cleanliness and hygiene and what’s excessive and unhealthy. I get so stressed out every single day over the thought of how dirty everything is. He has 3 cats that mainly stay in his room (he has a catio attached to his window/side of the house) and dogs which stay on the opposite side of the house and backyard, so there is fur everywhere constantly (i’m also allergic to cats but it’s not severe). I can’t stop thinking about how they are getting germs from their litter box all over everything. They also used to piss under his bed and in his closet when his room used to be a mess and it’s soaked into the floor so no matter what it stinks. It’s so hard to bring myself to walk around the house without slippers because my feet will get visibly dirty and my socks would get covered in hair. I always think about how my boyfriend sometimes walks on the rugs in the bathroom in shoes and all the germs that spreads. There’s so many more things but this is already getting long and I am shaking just thinking about how unclean everything is. I want to deep clean the entire house myself so I can get it to where It’s not like psychological torture everyday and it’s easier to maintain but I have been so busy I don’t have the time. I am worried about my boyfriend thinking I don’t like living with him or that I think that’s he’s dirty but i don’t. We have had several conversations about this and he’s reassured me that he knows none of my obsessive thoughts are personal but I still feel so bad about it. I would like to get therapy to help work through this but currently that is not an option for me. I know things will get better once I get through the main things in my life that are causing a lot of stress and therefore making my ocd flair up, but I need advice on what to do in the mean time. I keep having moments where all I can do is shake and cry and clean and I feel bad for my poor boyfriend who can only sit next to me and try to comfort me or help me clean. I also don’t want to make him worried that nothing he does is enough for me (i’ve also already talked to him about this and told him about how I can never even be clean enough for myself and that I don’t think he’s dirty). There’s been many times where I want to tell him to do things that I think might be my own unhealthy compulsions (ex. not wearing shoes in the house or in our room, not getting into bed with socks on, making sure to completely dry off before getting out the shower, put makeup and jewelry back where they belong right after using them, etc.) but i can’t tell if they’re reasonable or not and i try to not tell him unless it’s something that severely distresses me. I’m aware that everything is going to have germs no matter what and have been using NER’s to help manage my thought spirals/rumination. I know that I shouldn’t keep doing compulsions because it just offers temporary relief and makes the problem worse because nothing will ever be enough. I just feeling so overwhelmed and hopeless and exhausted and want some feedback.
- Date posted
- 19w
Hello, i have very severe contamination ocd, and as i am writing this i feel my hands are dirty lol, but anyways i wanted to know if there’s anyone specialised in Contamination ocd? No matter what type because i really need help and i looked up things but it doesn’t help please!!
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