- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
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 ago
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 ago
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 ago
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
- 20w ago
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.
- Date posted
- 8w ago
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
- Date posted
- 8w ago
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 :/
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond