Before my full recovery from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) I went for OCD therapy near me but was never taught about the mechanisms of OCD, whether this was because lots of therapists don't truly understand the condition or because they felt it wasn't important.

​

It was only after a long period of learning that it was made evident to me that OCD compulsions were in fact not the core issue like I had previously believed but were merely a symptom. A symptom of mental exhaustion and biological overwhelm. Once I understood this, it was so obvious the tricks that OCD was using were to try and sabotage me in the hopes that I would withdraw from life and allow my emotional energy to re-balance.

​

OCD compulsions work to trap you at home. One of the most obvious tactics used by OCD is using the fear of illness or contamination. This type of OCD tends to manifest in individuals who have endured additional traumas in their lives, often in childhood, most commonly of a medical nature.

​

For instance, the loss of a parent or witnessing severe illness during childhood can imprint a heightened sense of fear and cleanliness. While these are not the only triggers they represent some of the most common. 

​

The subconscious mind uses any tactics it can to try and keep you safe according to your programming . For instance, you may have a fear of blood due to concerns about contracting HIV. Dining out may make you fear food poisoning and lead to meticulous scrutiny of home-cooked meals. You may have disinfection protocols for areas of the house, or visitors may be subjected to hygiene rituals before they are able to enter.

​

Tasks like picking up children from school or navigating crowded spaces may bring on anxiety about potential exposure to viruses. These are just a few example of the strategies OCD can use to disrupt your life, your obsessions may vary but you can probably see the patterns. 

​

In my experience, contamination OCD often doesn't seem to be common sense, yet this becomes challenging to see when you are deeply lost in thoughts and routines. Here are a series of questions, drawn from my observations, in the hopes of giving you a new perspective on your behaviors: 

​

• Why is it vital to maintain your house in a state of near-sterility, yet you may casually drive your car without disinfecting the seats each time. 

​​

• Why is washing your hands seven times not enough, while eight times is sufficient? Does the act of washing eight times truly prove cleanliness, or is it merely a number you've assigned, driven by the comfort it provides and the relief from anxiety? 

​​

• What is the logic behind scrubbing your skin to the point of rawness and bleeding in attempt to prevent contamination, when in reality, it compromises your skin barrier and makes you more susceptible to the very infections you seek to avoid? 

​​

• Why does it seem necessary to avoid contact with people in an effort to stave off illness, when exposure to various pathogens is crucial for strengthening our immune systems and making us more resilient? 

​​

•  Why do you avoid touching potentially contaminated objects, yet permit your pets to share your bed? 

​​

So lets look at some common sense mindsets to help begin the process of alleviating these issues.

​

We were told during the pandemic that we should wash our hands for 20 seconds and surgeons, before performing surgery, wash their hands for a maximum of 5 minutes, ensuring the necessary cleanliness even during invasive procedures. So to begin with can you adopt this same mindset and wash your hands for a MAXIUM of 5 minutes and then trust that they are clean?  

​

Hygiene isn't a routine dictated by bodily sensations or mental impulses—it's a process. We should strive to expose ourselves to mild pathogens, such as colds, as this improves our immune system, enhancing our ability to combat more serious pathogens in the future. 

​

We should be gentler with our skin, allowing it to fulfill its natural role of protecting us from infection. Minimizing the use of cleaning products during showers can preserve the beneficial bacteria of our microbiome, which plays a vital role in our overall health. 

​

Consider the likelihood of contracting a disease from seemingly contaminated objects like bins, cigarette ends, or discarded plasters—it's almost no existent. Think about people like bin collectors, who encounter such items daily yet maintain robust health. In fact, they likely have some of the strongest immune systems around. 

​

Finally, probably the most important aspect to staying healthy and staving of illness is thinking and behaving differently. There is no argument that in general calm and happy people get ill less often, they recover more quickly when they do become ill and they live much more fulfilling lives! 

​

The quickest route to addressing these challenges lies in engaging with Exposure and Response Prevention ERP. Through a gradual and supportive approach, I can assist you in navigating ERP, facilitating a transformative journey toward adopting new modes of thought and behavior to improve your mental health. 

​

Get in touch and let's begin your holistic therapy journey.