- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I have done ERP for contamination OCD and have improved dramatically. I used to wash my hands until they were so dry they would crack and bleed, had elaborate cleaning rituals, avoided all sorts of perceived contamination etc. I have taken ERP one step at a time and gone gradually and have improved so much. I still wash my hands somewhat more than most people and have some issues with food contamination, but overall my level of distress has decreased so much and my life is so much better.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 6y
My OCD started with contamination back when I was in elementary school. This was when OCD was just beginning to be researched and it was rare for a child my age to be diagnosed. So, ERP was not really a thing yet but I had a school counselor who I had to see regularly who did something similar to ERP with me. She made me say out loud the things that grossed me out and made me feel like I had to wash my hands. Even when it made me gag, she made me say it out loud and wouldn’t let me run to the bathroom to wash my hands. I hated it at the time and threw some major tantrums because she wouldn’t let me do my compulsion (I was only 7) but it did help me overcome the contamination piece. Obviously, I still have OCD and I struggle with obsessions and compulsions daily but the contamination OCD is not a very big part of my life anymore at all. Now that ERP is actually a type of therapy and is in fact considered the golden standard for OCD treatment, I believe it is probably extremely helpful for people with contamination issues. I hope it will help you in the way that counselor helped me.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m about to start intensive treatment as well and I am terrified. I purchased a book that I heard about on The OCD Stories podcast. It’s called Daring to Challenge OCD by Joan Davidson. It’s about overcoming your fear of treatment. Hope this helps and best wishes to you in your recovery.
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank y’all so much! That’s is all so encouraging. I am so happy to here that y’all have been successful with this. I hope so much that it will work for me as well!! Thank you all so much
Related posts
- Date posted
- 16w
sorry this is super long i just wanna know if anyone else has been thru something similar bc i feel super alone 🩷 i have super bad contamination ocd. it was bad already but my house was like my safe space until a few months ago someone brought something into my house that i considered ‘contaminated’. and so then i felt like that part of the house was contaminated, then it spread to everything outside my room (since family is moving around touching stuff) and then somehow i got convinced everything in my room except my bed is contaminated and i need to wash my hands after touching it. in my mind its like the contamination just infinitely spreads to things after the tiniest bit of touch. idek what im afraid of anymore or even what the original thing was but i can’t let it go. when i have to wash off contamination i have to wash at least 4 times or until it feels right, or sometimes take rlly long showers and wipe down all my stuff. i even throw away food and clothes or just whole items sometimes because they feel so contaminated i don’t want them in my space. i can’t be super near people or have anyone touch me, and i also can’t bring anything new into my room since it had to go through the entry of my house which feels contaminated. i feel like all i do is lay in bed and then wash my hands and do compulsions so i can go eat or do other stuff around the house. also i never go out because i’m bc people outside make me feel dirty, and i hate thinking about how many people have touched stuff in stores or in public and stuff. so im just in my room worrying all day. i feel so trapped and the contamination/avoiding it is all i think about anymore i barely have time for anything else and im never present when i talk to people because im worrying about if i accidentally got contaminated. im starting erp next week and knowing that im going to have to expose myself to things is really freaking me out. does anyone else have this kind of ocd ? im exhaustedddd 🥲🥲💔
- Date posted
- 13w
Does anyone have any tips that helped them? Mine is due to a specific person and I work with them so it’s been really difficult. I’ve started ERP which has been reaaalllllly challenging and I would love to hear from anyone else that has gone through any type of contamination ocd and how they have overcome or are fighting their way through it. Thank you!l
- Date posted
- 12w
I read about ERP and have seen information about it on here. One of the goals is to say, "maybe I am this or that...ect." That terrified me. The thoughts and images that go in my head are disturbing and upsetting. I don't want to even think about saying, "maybe this or that." It's devasting to have these thoughts and question why you're having these thoughts. Doesn't the "maybe" make it worse? The one thing that helps me is that is to remind myself that these are just thoughts and I know I'm not a monster, even if I feel like one. Is ERP not for everyone? Has anyone else had a problem with the techniques used in this kind of therapy? I had cognitive therapy for years with an OCD specialist and that seemed to help a lot. Writing out the worst case scenarios would make me suicidal. Im having a difficult time not obsessing over the "maybe" after intrusive thoughts now. It doesn't make it better.
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