I just wanted to say hello to any old friends that might still be around and remember me. My emet is doing so well, that I actually forgot about this site. I used to come here multiple times a day for years. I started seeing a new therapist a while back, and she said I was not to visit this site or any other emet sites. A few years ago, I couldn't even imagine that request. She said constantly reading about emet only made my anxiety worse no matter how much I tried to argue that I enjoyed the support and friends. At my lowest point, I was too scared to let my daughter play on the playgrounds at McDonalds. Now I feel at ease with her playing anywhere, anytime. We went to a big Labor day party yesterday with about a hundred people each bringing a dish, and I watched her play with dozens of kids, their toys, and eat off the buffet table without a thought about sanitizing her hands.
The turning point for me was watching my daughter begin to get the same anxiety behaviors I was forcing on her no matter how desperately I did not want to. I'm so happy she doesn't give a crap about eating off a giant buffet table with her dirty little fingers now. :-) I just wanted to put a little hope out there, that you can go from an incredibly low point to a really great high point. I'm not going to come back and check this thread because my old therapist wouldn't want me to. I'm so glad I kept searching for a therapist that worked for me. This was therapist number three. She wasn't a specialist on emet, she just "got it" right away and delved where no one has delved before. I hope everyone is doing well!