What would happen if...

[wordmister]

What would happen if...

You stopped using hand sanitizer for a week.

You ate that foods you're afraid of this week.

You stopped using bleach to clean your home this week.

Y ou replaced your antibacterial soap with plain old regular soap this week.

Yous touched your face every chance you got this week.

You didn't take antiemetics this week.

You did what you want, with who you want, where you want, this week.

What would happen if you pretended you weren't emetophobic for just one week and behaved like the person you want to be? I wonder what would happen.

Would you be willing to take this challenge for just one week?

[Jayniek]

It would be a dream come true.... however don't think the brain and body could cope with the anxiety!!

[cloughie]

Umm sorry but i don't do or use any of those things. No bleach no special hand cleaners, Just soap and water. The thing i am fussy about is food that i'm not used too.
Carol.

[kristinak]

I don't do any of those things either.....

[wordmister]

Well, what do you do then?

[cloughie]

I wash my hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before i cook or eat.

[olschesky]

i don't do any of that list either........although i do keep gold bond hand sanitizer in my car for use after working......i clean nasty apartments after people move out...ick.......but even most times i don't even use that.......

i guess i should be grateful that i haven't "picked up" those emet habits...

so my answer to "what would happen if" is.........nothing would happen......

those of you that do feel you need to follow that list take comfort and strength in knowing that lots of us don't follow it and don't get sick........and so try and give it up........

make your life easier

[kristinak]

I agree with Olchesky. I just wash my hands before I eat and when I use the restroom. I do take vitamins, but I don't consider that any kind of ritual. I'm an athlete and generally try to do healthy things so that I don't get ill with even a cold, since that really messes up my training!
Yes, take heart that there are some of us that don't do all those rituals and still rarely get sick :O)

[Erica1649]

Well the hand sanitizing thing is part of my daily routine...I work in a doctors office so I'm very wearly on what I touch..you never know what patient had what when. I also work with feces here so while I wear gloves, I still wash and or sanitize after anything I do here...if I were home though, I would try the challenge...but again, I have to wash my hands...its just the correct hygenal thing to do.

As for the santizer thing, my hands would probably not be as chapped

[orton99]

Hi Wordmister, I really liked your suggestions! With respect, I think some of the posters so far have perhaps missed the point and the answer you're actually looking for when you ask what would happen if someone did all those things is: "You'd have taken a definite step towards overcoming your phobia because you're letting go of your safety behaviours!"

Your post in the Treatments forum is good as well, as I'm currently trying to recover myself and am part of the way there although I'm much more the CBT route than the chemical/meds one that you took, but it is still interesting to see that different people find that different things work for them.

Overall though I think your suggestions on this thread are excellent advice, keep them coming!

[randall3329]

I dont do any of those things either - well, i use sanitiser, but that for me isn't an emet thing

[wordmister]

ithose of you that do feel you need to follow that list take comfort and strength in knowing that lots of us don't follow it and don't get sick........and so try and give it up........

make your life easier

I agree. And those who follow the usual emet list religiously DO get sick.

[wordmister]

Hi Wordmister, I really liked your suggestions! With respect, I think some of the posters so far have perhaps missed the point and the answer you're actually looking for when you ask what would happen if someone did all those things is: "You'd have taken a definite step towards overcoming your phobia because you're letting go of your safety behaviours!"

DING DING DING! We have a winner! Right answer!

Regarding my recovery thread, I did do CBT and antianxiety meds for a long time and I did not see much of an improvement.

[kristinak]

I agree. And those who follow the usual emet list religiously DO get sick.

Then it should make sense that even though people do all of those OCD things, if you are going to get sick, you are going to get sick...so we should all stop doing them
I didn't miss the point. I know this is part of what CBT therapy is all about. I understand that there are emets who fall into the category of doing these OCD behaviors. My point was that there are many emets who do NOT fall under this category and still have emetophobia....what do we do as far as treatment?

[wordmister]

Then it should make sense that even though people do all of those OCD things, if you are going to get sick, you are going to get sick...so we should all stop doing them
I didn't miss the point. I know this is part of what CBT therapy is all about. I understand that there are emets who fall into the category of doing these OCD behaviors. My point was that there are many emets who do NOT fall under this category and still have emetophobia....what do we do as far as treatment?

You find another treatment, like I did.

[bex]

Hi Wordmister, I really liked your suggestions! With respect, I think some of the posters so far have perhaps missed the point and the answer you're actually looking for when you ask what would happen if someone did all those things is: "You'd have taken a definite step towards overcoming your phobia because you're letting go of your safety behaviours!"

Your post in the Treatments forum is good as well, as I'm currently trying to recover myself and am part of the way there although I'm much more the CBT route than the chemical/meds one that you took, but it is still interesting to see that different people find that different things work for them.

Overall though I think your suggestions on this thread are excellent advice, keep them coming!

You live in Reading? That's just down the road from where I work in Newbury small world.... Anyway, I agree - i think the point was more "how amazing would it be to live a 'normal' day like every other person?"regardless of whether we can relate to the specific compulsions - and I think we would all agree that that feeling would be INCREDIBLE.

[bex]

Then it should make sense that even though people do all of those OCD things, if you are going to get sick, you are going to get sick...so we should all stop doing them
I didn't miss the point. I know this is part of what CBT therapy is all about. I understand that there are emets who fall into the category of doing these OCD behaviors. My point was that there are many emets who do NOT fall under this category and still have emetophobia....what do we do as far as treatment?

I still feel like my OCD is my little safety net because it keeps me wary of what's going on around me, if nothing else. Foolish, perhaps, but it's a way of life that I just can't escape. And, to be quite frank, if I were offered the chance to be relieved of my OCD today, I would say no. I guess i'm just not ready to accept that things could get better... hmm.

[wordmister]

Yes the point was how amazing would it be to live a normal life AND that if you stopped all your emet routines nothing would happen that won't happen anyway. Those OCD behaviours give us a false sense of control and safety that's just not there. That's the point. Easier said than done, I know, and bad habits die hard. Even now that I'm recovered and have been for a while I still automatically overwash my hands, but I catch myself and stop and remind myself that I don't have to do that.

[bex]

Yes the point was how amazing would it be to live a normal life AND that if you stopped all your emet routines nothing would happen that won't happen anyway. Those OCD behaviours give us a false sense of control and safety that's just not there. That's the point. Easier said than done, I know, and bad habits die hard. Even now that I'm recovered and have been for a while I still automatically overwash my hands, but I catch myself and stop and remind myself that I don't have to do that.

If you don't mind me asking, wordmister, what provoked you to join this site having recovered?

[wordmister]

If you don't mind me asking, wordmister, what provoked you to join this site having recovered?

I don't mind at all. I had been lurking on and off for years and now that I'm recovered I decided I should join to let people know that if you keep looking and trying different things you will find what works for you and you can get over this. I was trapped in the vicious cycle of doing the same thing over and over again with no results but kept doing it anyway!

I figure if there's at least one recovered person on this site it might give others hope and maybe the encouragement they need to try something different if what they've been doing isn't working?

Hope that answers your question.

[bex]

Yup, perfectly I'm envious that you managed to escape!!!

[kristinak]

I hate that I am ALWAYS suspicious of new members like I am

Glad you are recovered, though...

[orton99]

You live in Reading? That's just down the road from where I work in Newbury small world....

Small world indeed, although there never seemed to be anyone else in the south-east that I ever noticed from when I was regularly posting last spring/summer. What I do remember though is that the emet capital of the UK seemed to be Yorkshire with loads of posters coming from there!

[paulinek]

I hate that I am ALWAYS suspicious of new members like I am

Glad you are recovered, though...

Me too since the Paisley incident, i wasn't before that..

[scaredsick]

Me too since the Paisley incident, i wasn't before that..

Me too...and a lot of new people joined right after she was banned...makes me leary

[paulinek]

Me too...and a lot of new people joined right after she was banned...makes me leary

I noticed that too :/

[bex]

I noticed that too :/

i think I missed something........ :/

[TigerLili]

And those who follow the usual emet list religiously DO get sick.

Really? How does this work? A virus or bacteria has to come from somewhere; it doesn't magically appear and develop in our guts. If you're being cautious and practicing good hygiene, how exactly does it make its way into your body?

[wordmister]

Really? How does this work? A virus or bacteria has to come from somewhere; it doesn't magically appear and develop in our guts. If you're being cautious and practicing good hygiene, how exactly does it make its way into your body?

No amount of washing and sanitizing will ever guarantee that you won't get sick. Good hygeine just lowers the risk, that's all. Unfortunately, everyone gets sick once in a while. That's just life. Point in case - look at all the people who posted on this very board that despite their OCD-like hygeine, they got sick.

[wordmister]

A virus or bacteria has to come from somewhere; it doesn't magically appear and develop in our guts.

True, I wonder how the first person got norovirus.