Has anyone who uses the forum got over contamination worries?

[leif]

On 08/07/2019 at 06:20, Ashley said:

Hiya Leif,

I think the build up exposures did help. Remember, this was at the very top of my hierarchy, so any little exposures can only help and even if they only make the ultimate exposure 1% easier, every 1% helps.. marginal gains as Dave Brailsford would say.  I think acceptance of the fact I needed to do the exercise and what it meant for me did help too, so another 1-2% there. 

Certainly a therapist doing it first helped take the edge of the anxiety, so that was another 1-2%. So you're right, having a support team behind us can help for sure, but ultimately it's down to us.... what allowed me to make that leap of faith then I am not quite sure, I guess all those factors combined helped. 

 

Well that's encouraging that maybe my attempts at building up to other toilets may be helping. This thread, and esp your posts here about how you did what i am aiming to specifically do has given me a breath of inspiration, and I've been trying to challenge more of my compulsions these last few days.

I won't continue posting on this thread about this as i don't want to take over another's thread, but just wanted to say thank you for this--this is the kind of thing i need to hear about to keep climbing the OCD mountain. I want to be really and truly free of this!

I will just say too Ashley, that i really appreciate your work here--to have stuck around all these years and to keep offering encouragement and help--it's really great of you. Thank you!

Edited July 9, 2019 by leif

[BelAnna]

On 08/07/2019 at 14:15, Ashley said:

It did impact on my other OCD problems in a positive way, in that little things which would have previously bothered me and forced a hand wash were no longer doing that. For example I dropped my phone at the support group in a bathroom near the loo.  At one time chances are that would have been thrown away, or at least cleaned to the point of destroying. I just picked it up, blew away any dust from the floor and popped it back in my pocket.

I must admit at one time I could not imagine ever doing it either, but over time and the more I understand OCD/CBT I realised I needed to do it... actually doing it took a lot longer to put into practice, which is fine, but I do think the important part is acknowledging to ourselves when we need to do such an exercise. Once we accept the fact we need to do it, we can then set about trying to make it a reality. 

 

That's amazing! It's also great that once you'd faced such a huge challenge it impacted on other obsessions.

My therapy at the moment is focused on EMDR so I'm wondering about getting some private CBT therapy as I want to make more progress. I've got a holiday coming up this weekend and I'm scared about how I'll cope with my contamination and checking symptoms! 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by BelAnna

[Handy]

On 04/07/2019 at 16:25, daja said:

I have got over some contamination fears only for the void to be filled by new fears.

Ah yes, that does happen.  It changes themes. One reason this happens is because of not understanding why it happens. Aka the why of OCD. Master that & one can control OCD it won’t control you. Which is recovery.