I don't understand ERP. How is it logical? I can sit with my hand in a toilet all day & I refuse to habituate to it. I don't even have contamination fears & that's nasty. Making a picture hanging on the wall crooked on purpose? Why? I prefer my pictures to hang straight. I wouldn't habituate to a crooked picture.... Lick the bottom of your tennis shoe? Ew. Not gonna habituate to that either. Curse God out with curse words? Don't care to do that & I'm not even religious. So, how does ERP work? I don't get it.

Date posted: 6y ago

Could you please repost this in comment here. For some reason, it is not showing completely

David Lebowitz

Date posted: 6y ago

Habituation means that something that caused you anxiety ceases to cause you anxiety because you get used to it. If you have contamination fears and feel contaminated by toilet seats and you touch a toilet seat for a long time, over and over, eventually touching a toilet won't make you feel gross. If you don't believe it will work then maybe you should try it out yourself instead of assuming it won't work.

canigetawitn...

Date posted: 6y ago

Ok, but I don't even have contamination fears. However, if I go into a public bathroom, that's dirty & nasty & I touch that toilet seat with my bare hands, you can guarantee I'm going to wash my hands. The rational reality is that's gross. This is the problem with exposure. It logically makes no sense. I refuse for myself to think a dirty, public restroom is sparkly clean, healthy & free from being gross. Wtf.

canigetawitn...

Date posted: 6y ago

Would you rather eat your food off a plate or the raw floor? Seriously, as a human being, which would you pick? I'd be the plate.

David Lebowitz

Date posted: 6y ago

If you don't have contamination obsessions then you don't need to expose yourself to these things. I really don't understand what your point is. You only need to expose yourself to things that you have irrational and excessive fears of.

vaIentine

Date posted: 19w ago

i cannot do ERP

i don’t think i can, i can’t stomach the possibility of these things, or maybe i can (because they might be true and deep down i know that) and just don’t want to and want to pretend it isn’t there. i can’t do ERP, i just want to pretend it isnt there and won’t happen to clarify, i know i have to do ERP, i know it’s necessary; i don’t need to be told this, this is just how i am feeling currently

EllieH95

Date posted: 16w ago

How do you do ERP without spiraling?

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.

Contamination OCD

Anonymousssssss

Date posted: 9w ago

Do you have to do erp?

I’ve noticed that I’m somewhat happier also ignoring my thoughts than I am instead of doing compulsions (I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired atp) but I’ve heard you’re technically supposed to do erp rather than pushing under the rug. But idk if I have a thought I just refuse to think about it again and im fine even if I want to do compulsions

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