I just recently heard the term “emotional contamination” and I’m trying to understand how exactly that works. Is it that you actually feel physically contaminated by someone or could it also be a strong emotional aversion to someone?
It can 100% also create emotional aversion. I go through phases of not being able to stand certain people because I for no reason feel disgusted. Or I can share drinks with someone one day, but not the next. It comes in many forms.
@Juliette26 Thank you for taking the time to reply. That’s so fascinating. I wonder if I may be experiencing this. There’s someone I’m close to that I go through phases of just feeling emotionally “icky” about for no apparent reason. Now that I know I have OCD this would make a lot of sense! Is there anything you find helps you stick with that discomfort?
@AllisonRojas I will be honest I'm still figuring it out. For people I'm close with I try to communicate. Every few months the sight of my brother makes me panic, for no known reason so I avoid the negative energy by keeping us separate when in proximity and explaining I'm irritable. For a friend of mine it is only his hair the bothers me, the idea of it ever touching me makes me feel uncomfortable around him. He now knows and I felt less guilty for being grossed out. I am still trying to explore it, and will hopefully learn more about the why as I explore the roots of my obsessions.
@Juliette26 I really appreciate you sharing some of your story. This gives me a new direction to explore in therapy 🙏
@AllisonRojas You are welcome I wish you luck!🫶
It truly amazes me how terms to convey a thing come about. I have never heard of that ever but I get it...I think. "Emotional contamination"... I immediately want to ask "How?". Emotion is a reaction. How can it influence? If someone screams out of disgust how can that change my mind to how I feel about it? Am I understanding the term correctly?
@MarciaMarciaMarcia Isn’t it so interesting? I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it as well. From what I have gathered it’s often experienced as a fear that you’ll “catch” someone else’s negative traits. But as I’ve been reading I see it can take so many different forms. It’s a little confusing to me! I plan to ask my therapist about it.
@AllisonRojas - Oh wow! In order for that to happen wouldn't you have to be like a blank slate? Meaning in order for me to pick up on someone's negativity, I would have to have no opinion about the subject. That's my take.
@MarciaMarciaMarcia I don’t know! That’s an interesting perspective I hadn’t considered. The impression I got was that someone with emotional contamination ocd might view character traits the same way someone with classical contamination ocd might view germs. I could be totally getting this wrong! I hope we can get a few more comments from others who experience emotional contamination. Maybe we’ll get some more context!
For me, the description of this type of OCD literally gave me peace about something that I have not been able to accept uncertainty about once. I understood this for me for example, I have had an unimaginable difficult time experiencing anything that my boyfriend did, read, watched, listened to, etc. with his ex. He has four primary passions and because her posts frequently made distinct reference to one of his favorite, books, bands, etc. Then I felt that those subjects were “ruined” and belonged to her, she had claim to them, and I didn’t. I almost lost the love of my life over this condition and had no words, but now that I do, the relief is incredible!!!!
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
