share your successes I would like to read them:)

[Guest MFortunato]

If anyone wants to reply and share their successes through their journey of treatment.

[Guest ADD]

Sure MForunato. I got over my contamination ocd for the most part. I used to be housebound by it and hand washed 100x a day etc. I used to throw out so many things and throw away my clothes if someone as much as brushed up against my shirt when grocery shopping or tapped me. That's how extreme it was. No one could touch me, hug me, nothing. I would try not to touch anything, used kleenex to open and close doors. I even wouldn't put away my groceries (that were in packages already) until I washed the packages or wiped them down completely with sanitizer towlettes. Though when I'd open a package of food I'd wash my hands again before touching the contents. It was even a lot more than that, though no need to go into all of it, it was really bad. I couldn't go anywhere, couldn't travel or go out with friends, couldn't sit anywhere, couldn't go out to eat or theaters, couldn't do anything except a few errands and then isolate myself at home again with compulsions all day and hand washing.

I have succeeded in getting over all of those things. For the past several years I have not had them. Don't handwash more than others. Travel everywhere alone, fly everywhere, stay at hotels, go to restaurants, the gym, touch doors (though I have to wash my hands after holding the greasy subway bars, gross), don't care if people touch me or brush against me in crowds, don't throw away things, spend the majority of my time out of home at places, use regular transit etc. There are only a few things that still bother me that I avoid, though most are for good reasons and the rest I'm still working on not caring about.

I still have mental contamination issues and stuff with symbols and memories and fears of intrusive thoughts themselves etc. though I've had these things for as long as the physical contamination stuff. So I'm not one of those who would say, it doesn't matter what I get over, it just moves to something else or changes themes. Mine have never changed themes, I just had all of these before and have gotten rid of a lot of them with other ones left that are very resistant and more difficult.