Posted by Racer on December 15, 2007, at 10:41:09
In reply to Re: Umm, stuff that I'm ashamed of., posted by TF on December 15, 2007, at 7:14:18
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> It's just a few times when I've had a problem, where people have told me that I smell, that stick in my mind and just make me think that there's nothing I can do about my odor.See, I live in earthquake country, and we hear a lot of people around here talking about "earthquake weather." There's this idea that certain weather patterns go with earthquakes. The reason this idea gets so strong, though, is that no one really remembers all the times that weather pattern is present and there are no earthquakes, and no one really remembers all the times there are earthquakes without that weather pattern. But when those two things coincide? THEN everyone remembers -- "See? It was Earthquake Weather!"
I think that's what you're experiencing. As soon as something "confirms" to you that you have an odor problem, it strengthens your belief. When you don't get that confirmation, or even when you get feedback that denies your belief, that's neutral, and you don't really process it. So, maybe you have Earthquake Odor? ;-)
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> I still want to see other doctors to see if there's something that could be causing abnormally strong smells, though.
>And I think that's a good idea -- but only if you can process negative feedback about odor. If you see one doctor who says that you don't have a problem with odor, will that be enough? Or will you have to see another, to confirm that the first is an idiot? And possibly another after that?
See, I have a fixed belief, too. I generally refer to it as an irrational obsession, so you might prefer the term your doctor is using. I've talked to my therapist about getting testing to set my mind at ease, and she's against it. She says that any number of other things could come up, and it's better that we just talk about the issue involved, rather than trying to follow up with testing. It's frustrating at times, and my anxiety gets so high about it at times it's nearly unbearable, but you know what? She's right. I know she's right. I know that if I got the testing, I'd be too nervous to get through it, it would be traumatic, and the end result would be the same -- I'd still wonder and worry, "what if the tests were wrong?"
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
poster:Racer
thread:800487
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20071215/msgs/800985.html