Cornerstone of cognitive therapy.

[taurean]

I am still on the case and trying to engage in my mind how disgust works.

My personal cleanliness standards are high but our domestic standards are low. The house is often tidy but dirty and that would disgust some people but they mightn't see it as a threat.

My sister's house is much worse with dirty crockery in the kitchen. We find this repulsive.

When we visit we go through a sort of brainwashing process to desensitise ourselves before we turn up. We usually do this on the train.

So when we arrive, although we see all the disgust, it doesn't register - we have desensitised that part of us that triggers a disgust response.

[Guest Tricia]

In fact if I'm really honest Tricia this doesn't really sound like OCD to me because you don't experience any doubt. To me it sounds more like an extreme phobia of the feeling of revulsion. You have developed compulsions which allow you to avoid the object of your phobia.

I keep asking myself the same, and yet a specialist is convinced it's part of my OCD. Thinking back, I experienced no doubt over my previous obsession, either (or fear of harm), and that was also diagnosed as OCD.

Last one:

"Do All Threats Work the Same Way? Divergent Effects of Fear and Disgust on Sensory Perception and Attention"

http://m.jneurosci.org/content/31/9/3429.full.pdf

Orwell, thank you so much for those three links. I am very grateful to you.

Roy, for seven years I was caring for my dogs and living with the feelings of disgust. I agree with the psychologist I last saw, it needs more than exposure to shift this.

Thank you for all the help. I certainly have some things to consider now.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Tricia

[taurean]

That's good Tricia.

Having things to consider is a better place.

[Guest Orwell1984]

You're very welcome Tricia!

[Guest Tricia]

How indeed? Especially as you had anxiety/OCD from being a child. The good news I suppose is that it shows that it is possible for you to feel ok. You haven't suffered any brain injury (I presume) so hopefully one would think the potential is there, it's more a case of working it out :detective:

Caramoole, I don't know why I suddenly thought of your question again, or why I overlooked the (remote) possibility of brain injury. However, before the contamination obsession began I had almost constant intrusive thoughts for seven years and, on one occasion, I banged my head repeatedly on a wall and knocked myself out. I'm now wondering if I did do permanent damage.

[PolarBear]

Tricia, I've been thinking about your situation and what you've bravely talked about on this thread and a few others. I wonder, how often did you practice Exposure and Response Prevention with your clothes on?

The reason I ask is fairly simple. ERP is all about exposing yourself to the obsession/the fear and not performing compulsions. Your biggest compulsion, from what I've seen, is not wearing clothes. In order for ERP to be done right, ALL compulsions would have to be resisted during the exposure. In your case that would mean wearing clothes during the exposure.

[Guest Tricia]

It was throughout the exposure period, Polar Bear, which was many weeks. I wore normal clothes and behaved as if I didn't have contamination fears - no extra hand washing etc.

Also, before the ERP I had not sat on any soft chair for years (stood most of the time, as I do again now, but occasionally washed a hard chair and sat on that). During the exposure period I sat on the sofa etc. Also in one armchair that I was terrified of after a policeman had once used it with his uniform on. (I had been attacked at my place of work the night before and was shaking like a leaf when the police officer was in my home. He thought due to the experience at work, but it was because he was sitting in the chair and had his shoes on my carpet - the attack was nothing compared with that horror).

Edited February 17, 2015 by Tricia

[taurean]

I can understand the problem Tricia.

In my case i doubt if anyone else travelling yesterday from my station would have felt the same feelings as I did from the poster on the wall that I found repulsive and distressing.

I can't have that poster taken down, its fair game in what goes up now on transport - but unless I don't want to go out I have to run the gauntlet of this stuff and the newspapers and the adverts on side of buses - I struggle with the banner headlines and stories.

Like you I've done my ERP correctly sat out the distress but the material remains repulsive and distressing and I mind read and personalise on iot when I am in a weak phase, but I cope with it when I am not. I believe stronger mental links may be in operation until a breakdown kicks off another episode, but nobody has established what really happens.

LIke for 6 months last year nothing really bothered me, I was reading papers quite a lot, travelling a lot - but the triggers didn't affect me. .

Edited February 17, 2015 by taurean