ERP Doesn’t Make Sense To Me

Take the information and challenges you see online with a grain of salt, because ERP and exposures are very individual. What works for one person may not work for another, and every one has different levels or meanings to their compulsions. ERP gets tricky when the habits could be “normal,” or reasonable. This is when working with a trained OCD specialist is crucial, because they can help you understand what is a healthy habit for you vs habits that keep you stuck in compulsions. I’ll share a personal example. I have also worked through contamination OCD with my therapist. I personally hate touching the pumps at gas stations. They’re gross and I doubt they are ever cleaned. So, that’s probably a thought someone without OCD would have. A public place (gas station) has germs. Where my OCD kicks in is how I handle things after I pump gas. Someone without OCD might use hand sanitizer, and be done, not thinking anything more about it. For me personally, I feel a need to use a ton of hand sanitizer, and to probably sanitize my hands multiple times “just in case.” However, doing so convinces my OCD that gas pumps are a danger and I must cleanse my hands multiple times. The key thoughts I look out for are “just in case” (I miss a germ on my hand) or “better safe than sorry” or getting the “just right” amount of hand sanitizer. So when these thoughts come up for me, I address them in a few ways, depending on how loud my thoughts are or what my OCD is telling me. I might not sanitize my hands after I pump gas. I might just drive home and wash my hands there before I eat. One day, my OCD was screaming at me, so I touched my face and went home. Because I needed to show my OCD I was not going to be under its dictatorship in that moment. If I’m getting food right after I pump gas (like picking up fries I’ll eat in my car), I will put on less sanitizer than I think I should, spread the sanitizer on my hands, then go eat my food. If my OCD had its way, I would use a boat load of sanitizer. But ERP helps me not let this happen. It helps me find the actions that help my recovery and quiet the intrusive thoughts. I hope this helps! Fear of ERP is so normal, but it got me my life back.

Hello! Contamination OCD friend here. I was also very skeptical at first and there were and still are “logical” things that I manage. Like “maybe I have germs on my hand or maybe I don’t” like of course I have germs on my hand I just touched a public restroom door handle. Lmao However reading things online can be dicey, so I would be mindful of how much you lean into what you read online (as you read this online Lmao) One big thing I’ve learned is that your exposures should be individual to you.If skipping a hand wash doesn’t make sense to you in that moment (I also think everyone should just wash their hands before eating 😂) but then maybe shift the goal to “I’m going to be mindful of this hand wash so I don’t go into a loop of several hand washes”  Hope that makes sense. Things will come naturally with intention and effort into your journey. Take care 😊

Yeah I’m also confused. I feel on board to cross-contaminate with normal things but my therapist wanted me to touch my toilet seat and then touch the corners of my eyes- where bacteria can transfer more. AND touch my kitchen counter, where everyone else in my house prepares their food. I started to get worried cuz even average people won’t do this since this actually spreads E-coli 😅 So I eventually stopped doing that exposure cuz my therapist won’t be the one paying everyone’s hospital bills 😆

Hi there, I have contamination as my main ocd subtype and it is very hard but the ERP does actually help. While people should wash their hands occasionally, I can recognize that they way I do it, the amount of time and rituals tied to it are unhealthy. They don't start out with erp saying just stop washing your hands and get over it, you start with things that you help your therapist identify as potential starting points. For me, I couldn't even open a package of food without dumping it into another bowl and then washing my hands before eating it. I have a long way to go still, but I am washing less frequently and less obsessively. Erp teaches your brain to stop overfiring and making you panic at things that are not really dangerous. It helps you accept that even if you wash your hands, there is no certainty that something bad won't happen and you make the conscious decision to live your life more fully and be present in your life and find your joy and happiness again.

Well yeah, it's hard when the compulsions make logical sense so there is a natural resistance to Erp. What's the difference between a healthy habit and a compulsion to you?

There are lots of ways! You can start with things that you know some people do with no issue but are hard for you. 5 second rule of eating something off the floor, for example