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Contamination


Guest Lilac7

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Guest Lilac7

I have an intense fear of one of the most toxic substances and I become extremely anxious whenever I hear/see the words or symbols connected with this. This seems to happen to me on an almost daily basis on tv, in the media, film , lyrics of songs, books etc even though I go to great lengths to try to avoid it. When it happens I feel I am contaminated along with my home and any purchases bought that day. I am exhausted trying to avoid these 'words' and all those associated and it is bizarre how frequently it is happening. I can turn on the radio and instantly it will happen, a trailer for a film, the symbol on a vehicle which passes me , a rock group cd title in the supermarket, etc etc etc........ It has just happened tonight and I am feeling very agitated that the cosmetics I have bought today are contaminated .....

My fridge freezer packed up 9 months ago but I have been unable to replace it as I'm so worried I will hear one of these words whilst waiting for it to be delivered and then I'll have to throw the freezer out.

Does anyone else experience this..... any suggestions ? Thank you

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I think the reason why you are now noticing these bad symbols and words more often may be because you're searching for them and have become hyperaware of them. If you're really afraid of something and are constantly in flight or fight mode and your mind is readying itself for the bad, chances are you will notice it more around you. I mean for example, if a person was to have a very intense fear of spiders they would constantly be scanning the room for the creepy crawlies and constantly vigilant. The same goes for you accept with these words.

I've heard some people say the best exposure for this is to sit down and right the bad words over and over again and try not to perform any compulsions or rituals at all.

Wishing you the best :)

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Guest Lilac7

Thank you.

A few years ago a therapist had me pin these words around my house. It made me so incredibly miserable and I ended up just looking at the floor to avoid seeing them.... eventually had to remove them so I could function a bit.

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Like any type of OCD you have to expose yourself to that which causes your anxiety to rise and sit with the anxiety as it works it's way to a normal level. You have to do this without performing compulsions.

It would be good for you to make a list of what compulsions you have.

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Guest OCDChineseFighter

I have similar problems. I am anxious to see ' bad words' wherever they appear, news websites, tv , books and etc. they do bother! but what I am gonna do is to shift my attention to abundant 'good words' in life, believing that they bring more positive energy to us and cancel those bad words out.

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