Let's say I worried that I could've dropped money somewhere & I go back to check over and over again? What would ERP look like here?

Canigetswitness1992- I understand this is such a frustrating process and that ERP can seem to be an ass backwards way to approach things sometimes. However, remember that if the therapy seems illogical, the disease is also partially illogical. This is because the disease comes from the amygdala (the fear center of the brain). This is a more primordial part of the brain and comes before the logical part of our brain sorts the messages. Therefore, our brain doesn’t respond to logic on these issues because it’s not the logic part of our brain that’s broken.

Same! I keep looking back it’s a nervous habit

How big of a probability do you think this could be 1 in 10? 100? 1000? Is this an acceptable level of risk to deal with?

Writing a script about your worst nightmare scenario around this and then recording yourself saying it or rewriting it until you are bored

Forget about intentionally dropping money. What’s the worst case scenario if you accidentally did drop money? What happens if you don’t check?

Logically, I'm not going to habituate to sticking my hand in a dirty toilet OR eating off the floor OR making things out of place/backwards on purpose. I logically see that those things are not completely habituable, therefore it's not the OCD, or me, it really is the therapy. It doesn't make sense. I don't want to do it anymore because ERP is making me worse, but anytime I try to walk away it's "you haven't habituated enough. Go mess things up. Get uncomfortable. Habituate to the way you don't like things." No, it's really awful. The therapy is awful in that it puts you in a box & it's impossible to escape.

How would therapy work for this?

One therapist told me I needed to actually drop money on the floor & habituate to that. However, I don't think I would, even without OCD. Wouldn't the primary goal just be to stop checking for money (cut out the compulsion).

I like the idea of intentionally dropping money.

I don't understand why though.

If someone were to drop a $5 bill on the ground on purpose, they'd pick it up and put it back in their wallet.

Heck, if I, in reality, dropped bills on the ground, I would pick them up, would anyone else not? I don't understand.

This therapy is torture.

It goes against all my values.

What happens if you worry that you’ve dropped money somewhere but you don’t go back and check?

Oh I understand no going back to check. That makes sense. Experience the obsession, but don't perform the compulsion. But to actually drop money on the ground and leave it there? Why?

That's torture. Would you go out and drop a $20 bill on the ground and just leave it there intentionally. And do that over and over and over again? No. Because money is not cheap to come by

Ok, but what If I don't drop money all the time on purpose, that makes me a failure?

My issue is exposure therapy it doesn't make sense. Even if i dropped money all day, or put my hand in poop all day or ate of the floor all day or made things backwards on purpose all day, I'm never going to habituate to these things because I'm a human being. I deserve to not be doing backwards/weird/unethical stuff 24/7.