Contamination Exposure anxiety

[Catlady27]

For people who have contamination ocd - Do you have a hard time just sitting with the high anxiety feeling that comes after doing an exposure? I find it to be more torture than actually touching the contaminated item. Has anyone been able to overcome these feelings of anxiety?

[LulaBeth]

Well, as I don't do intentional exposures, I do feel this "snowball" type domino affect.Like....if I get too close at the store to someone (unintentionally obviously) then...all the bad things at the store that can happen will...but...it contamination mixed with magical thinking. I think. But in reality it is a lot of "what if "thinking.

[Engelbrekt]

I would like to recommend Mariza T Masas book "The act workbook for OCD" - I use it together with my ERP therapy and there are a lot of keys to help you manage the anxiety in the situation you describe. I highly recommend the book!

[Catlady27 in reply to Engelbrekt]

Thank you, appreciate the suggestion

[Engelbrekt in reply to Catlady27]

Glad you do. Wishing you the best.

[mmmmww]

Yep, some exposures I just can't handle, I do not have the strength/will power, and I get too anxious after the exposure and can't sit with it. I give in and have to wash my hands/change clothes or whatever the "reliever" is for that current exposure.Disappointingly, I have not yet managed to do/stick with any major exposures, my fear of spreading it/contamination to my son is just too great. I have no idea how others manage it, so if you find a miracle way of dealing with it, please let me know.

On a positive note, I started taking fluoxetine last month, and I know it takes a while to work, but I do feel as though it may be helping. As now some things that used to panic me a lot, don't panic me as much now. For example, my son (a toddler) touched the kitchen bin a couple days ago. Previously that would have freaked me out to no end and would have resulted in me scrubbing his hand and maybe even using some anti bac gel, possibly a clothing change and then washing my own hands after. But instead I just wiped his hand with a baby wipe and nothing more. I was still freaked out that he had touched the bin, but not as bad as I would have been a month or two ago.

So I am hoping it is the fluoxetine and it is helping and that if I continue with it, maybe increase dosage (only on 20mg per day currently) then I hope it will help more and I will eventually be able to do the big exposures.

Sorry I have not been much help, but at least you know you are not the only one who cannot sit with the anxiety of a major exposure.

[DrLevy]

Agree that the most difficult part of ERP is not the exposure but sitting with the anxiety afterwards (that is, the response prevention).It may help to know that the spike in anxiety, however intense, is a signal that the treatment is working. After my second dose of the COVID vaccine, I felt awful —- my entire body ached. While it was super unpleasant, I knew it was a sign that the vaccine was working.

Knowing that tolerating the natural anxiety (however unpleasant) after an exposure is healing your brain, can make it tolerable. Each time you avoid washing after an exposure, your are literally healing and changing your brain.

Also helpful to remember that anxiety is a result of worry thoughts and that thoughts aren’t reality. Hope this helps.