Therapist: There are germs everywhere. You can’t get rid of them. So, why don’t you learn not to wash your hands after touching washroom door knob ? ??‍♂️ Me: Would you touch a dead rat and not wash your hands? ? Therapist: No!? Me: Why?! You said there are germs everywhere and you can’t get rid of them. ? Therapist: ? Me: That’s where you draw the line and this is where I draw the line. ? Therapist: I will not try to convince you that nothing is going to happen to you if you don’t wash your hands. Probably, something can but its probability is really really low. So, you have to take the risk and be uncertain. Me: ?

That’s a very good point you made to the therapist. We all “choose” where to draw our lines, but the important part is making sure it’s us making the choice and not OCD making it for us. I deal with some contamination OCD to where I have chosen some lines that I won’t cross, but OCD makes me want to let those boundaries get gradually more extreme, so I have to expose myself to the uncertainty to keep the thoughts and rituals from taking over.

That’s what I did ultimately.

I have been building up my self to doing more and more exposures. Then the other day I was out with a friend and she picked up her dogs poop in a baggie and was going to then eat something... without washing her hands. I was like OMG ??? I bet dog owners do this all the time. I made her use sanitizer so I guess that was a compulsion. I can touch animals that are living but I still am afraid of parasites

It's partly about the likelihood of getting sick and the consequences if you do get sick. A small chance of getting a cold isn't the same as a significant chance of getting a virus that will likely kill you. You need to ask yourself if your level of anxiety is proportionate to the degree of risk. There is also the issue of what you do to rid yourself of the possible contamination. Do you wash your hands once with soap for 30 seconds or do you wash your hands repeatedly throughout the day to the point that they get so dry that they crack and bleed?

This answer is more satisfying than that of my therapist’. Thanks Redhawks2212.

If it were me, I would listen to the therapist and try to live with the uncertainty.

David Ben-Arteh I don’t have fear of contamination. I just have this disgusting feeling of thou hing these things because I know that people have touched there after touching their private parts.

That is almost my same issue. I’m not afraid of the consequences of contamination...I just think it’s gross! It actually makes it easier to be exposed to it than someone who fears an actual consequence such as HIV though. As my therapist explained to me...with OCD you have to expose yourself to things over and above what would gross a typical person out. It’s like trying to bend a pole back straight that is already bent one direction...you have to bend it the other way for a while to have it settle back straight. I hope that made sense!

It certainly did.... Because of my ERP.. I have started touching taps and door knob. But last week, I had to use a public washroom and it was dirty and I couldn’t wash my hands there and used my water bottle. Could you please tell if you have exposed yourself to any such situations like bending the pole in opposite direction?

I need to do a lot more than I have; but contamination concerns are really only a minor theme for me so I don’t really focus my therapy on that as much as my pure O themes. I have done things like rub the bottom of my shoe and then eating something with that hand. I have heard of people spraying water from the toilet on things in their house and not cleaning it.....but that’s a line I’m not planning on crossing!

Also eating food off the floor etc. really just start with things that make you uncomfortable and then gradually work your way to more disturbing things.

Thanks buddy.