- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
i am so glad i found this post. i deal with the same thing. any time anyone mentions being confused about their sexuality or if i find another female attractive i become so anxious. i am in a healthy loving relationship ans have been for almost two years, and i am so romantically and sexually attracted to my boyfriend, but there are times i’m so consumed by my intrusive thoughts i feel like i should just end my relationship. i know i’m not gay because the thoight of a same sex relationship doesn’t bring me happiness, it brings me anxiety. sometimes i just try to find reasons that my intrusive thoughts are true and it feels so real. it just makes me break down and cry.
- Date posted
- 3y
I relate to this wholeheartedly. It feels like it’s just a never ending cycle of self doubt. I’m sorry you’re having a hard time as well. Hopefully we can all get the proper help
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous honestly just knowing that other people experience the same thing makes me feel better already. and so does just opening up about it. we’re all taking the first step we need to in order to feel better ❤️
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi there, I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this right now. I’m currently struggling the same exact way that you are. Feeling like I’m lying to myself and in denial when I know who I am authentically. It’s especially hard right now because I have a boyfriend who I’m so in love with and I just want all of my intrusive thoughts to stop. I don’t have an answer for you because I’m also new to the idea of having sexual orientation OCD, but I experience almost all of the symptoms of it, but I just want you to know you’re not alone. Although it’s really hard, maybe it’s comforting to know we’re both experiencing it. I believe everything will be okay one day for both of us.
- Date posted
- 3y
It really is the worst feeling in the world. Honestly I think ive dealt with this since I was a young teen, I’m 25 now but finally understanding what OCD is and looking for proper treatment. I completely get the fear of talking to people about it because they might think you’re in denial. I’ve dealt with that for a while, even so when I was younger. I would just cry to my mom and not know what to tell her because my mind would tell me I was gay even though that didn’t feel right. So then I didn’t know what to say because what would I say? That “I’m scared I’m gay even though I know I’m not?”…it was so hard. As I got older I naturally developed attraction and romantic feelings towards men, especially in college so those fears and thoughts kind of subsided. But for some reason they’re back with a vengeance and making me feel like my whole life is a lie. Sorry I’m writing a novel about this, I’ve just never spoken to someone who might be dealing with the same thing I have been dealing with. Anyway, are you okay?
- Date posted
- 3y
Thankyou for writing that! It helps to know your not alone.. I feel like I’m constantly in fight or flight. I’ve dealt with so many types of ocd but HOCD is back and it feels so much stronger which is making me think maybe it’s for real this time . And Yeahh I can’t talk about it so you just lock it up and deal with it alone. I really hope you get through this quickly It’s so so much easier to talk abojt jt on here because people here understand the feelings of fear you get from these thoughts Hope your okay!!
- Date posted
- 3y
@florence18 Yeah I’m realizing I’ve dealt with many other subtypes too when I look back at my obsessions/compulsions over the years. The HOCD one just always tends to come back because it feels like it could be the most real. And agreed, it’s nice being able to talk about it on here, especially without judgment or misunderstanding. Hope you’re okay as well!
- Date posted
- 3y
You definitely are not alone! I'm 25 and married and dealing with this. This has been such a godsend, a place to connect with people with the same subtype and not have people barrage you with questions or assumptions. I avoided ERP for SO long but now that I'm in it, it's been amazing. I'm always here to chat! You've got this!
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi! It brings me hope to hear that ERP has helped you. How long did you deal with OCD before getting help?
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous About a year and a half. I had no idea it was OCD because I'd never experienced it before to that level. I was SOA afraid that ERP would somehow confirm my fears or a worst case scenario would come true. I still struggle with that sometimes. But ERP has absolutely been worth it so far so I want to keep persevering as best I can with it.
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi there, I also struggle from the same themes and thoughts pattern. You can look into my profile for more info. Im a female and identify as straight & im engaged to my fiancé who I am so in love with. Despite the blurry lines of how ocd makes me feel, I know who I am authentically and I know that he’s the one I’m in love with. I know that I don’t ever want to be with a female but I also know how this subtype can try to lie to us. But knowing all of that doesn’t mean that I’m not scared that it’s not OCD and or “denial”. The feelings is especially hard to accept & can cause confusion. Like all of us suffering, we just want these intrusive thoughts to stop and go back to being normal. Keep on fighting and you know who you are authentically.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi thank you for sharing. Did you struggle with this theme as a kid?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
I’m engaged to the love of my life and this is taking all of me 😭
- Date posted
- 3y
@OCD33 Thank you for sharing as well, I experienced this theme as a kid (probably starting around 12 years old) and I’ve been ruminating over it the past few days. It’s been really taxing mentally. All I know is I love my boyfriend and the thought of anything ever changing scares me and makes me so upset. But the OCD thoughts always make me overthink. Hoping to do some ERP soon
- Date posted
- 3y
@OCD33 Hi! No I did not. I’m 28 now but this theme popped up last year. It disappeared completely with the first 2 flare but this year it came back stronger. This is the only relapse that has truly took a toll on me. Congratulations on the engagement! It’s always refreshing to hear when people with these themes are also in a relationship. Keep fighting for your person! Wake up and continue choosing that person. It’s hard and it’s not fair but we have to do what we can, there’s no other way out. Maybe they’ll be able to perform surgery or give us a magical pill to fix these brains in the future 🤷🏻♀️
- Date posted
- 3y
I’m so glad you’ve commented!! That’s why I’m so scared of getting into a relationship or even being near boys at the moment. I can’t imagine how your feeling.. I really hope your okay! It’s literally the worst feeling in the world 😭 It’s also so hard to talk about to anyone who isn’t going through it.. in case they say ‘sounds like your in denial’ How long have you been having the intrusive thoughts?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I’ve been dealing with SOOCD for over a year now, and I have been having a very hard day today. I feel like I just need someone to talk too, my whole life I’ve always had girl crushes and always wanted to be romantic with women . Ever since I posted this picture on instagram and one person said I looked “zesty” in it , which is when I started obsessing about being gay . I feel like I put so much meaning to these thoughts where now I’m always checking how I feeling around men. I had a really bad porn addiction for a long time and bad anxiety which fucked up my sex drive. I feel like I doubt if I’m attracted to women when I know I am , but the doubt is so overbearing where I start to believe it . I never was interested in men sexually, and my ocd makes me feel like I like the thoughts even though I feel no pleasure out of it. I feel like I lost who I am as a person . It feels like I don’t even know what my sexuality is and it’s really upsetting to me . I meant this girl the other day and she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and I just feel like ocd is getting in the way😭😭😭 please any advice or comments
- Date posted
- 19w
Hey everyone, I’m reaching out because I’ve been going through one of the hardest mental spirals of my life, and I’m hoping someone can relate or shed light on what’s happening to me. About 4 months ago, I accidentally came across a trans porn scene. It didn’t do much at the time, but later it triggered this overwhelming intrusive thought: “What if I’m gay?” Since then, it’s been absolute hell. I’ve always been into women—emotionally, sexually, everything. I’ve been in a long-term relationship with a girl I love deeply. But after that moment, my brain started spiraling into nonstop analysis. I began checking how I felt around men, whether I felt attraction, whether I was in denial, whether I was lying to myself. Literally everything became a test. I got stuck in this loop: • A thought pops in → panic • Try to solve it → brief relief • Another thought → worse panic • Repeat. At times, it got so bad I couldn’t feel anything at all—toward my girlfriend, toward women, toward myself. I started doubting everything. Some days, I feel emotionally flat, like I’ve lost my personality. Other days, I wake up with a full-body jolt of “truth” like “I’m definitely gay”—only for it to fade into numbness again. I’ve also noticed that I get short bursts of peace when I stop reacting, but then the fear comes back louder, like “See? Now you’re accepting it. That means it’s true.” Therapy hasn’t helped much so far—it felt more like general counseling. They told me to sit with the thoughts, but didn’t clarify if this was OCD, identity questioning, or trauma. That just made it worse because now I’m back to thinking “What if I’m just rejecting my truth?” I’m exhausted. I’ve lost connection to everything I used to love. • I want to love my girl again the way I used to • I want to feel desire without overthinking • I want to trust myself again I’m not looking for reassurance—I just want to know if anyone else has gone through something like this, and if this sounds like HOCD or identity OCD. Thanks for reading.
- Date posted
- 19w
I really need help understanding what I’m going through. For a long time now, I’ve been struggling with thoughts and feelings about women that confuse and scare me. Sometimes I feel this strange emotional or mental ‘pull’ toward certain women — it’s not exactly sexual, and not clearly romantic either, but it feels like something, and it triggers deep anxiety. When I see a beautiful woman or a WLW (woman-loving-woman) couple, I feel something that I can’t explain — sometimes I think it’s just admiration or aesthetic appreciation, but OCD keeps telling me: “You felt something, so you must be gay,” or “You’re hiding something.” I get stuck in endless loops, trying to analyze these moments and label them. Even when I feel physical or emotional reactions, they don’t feel natural or aligned with who I am. They feel like a reaction to the idea of women, not real attraction. I try to be honest with myself — I even told a friend I might be bisexual at some point, just to test if that felt more comfortable. But it didn’t. It made things worse, and I felt like I lost touch with who I am. I don’t want to lie to myself or live in denial, but I’m exhausted. It feels like I’m being mentally forced to feel something that isn’t mine. I’m 14, and I understand that things might still be developing, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve always been drawn to men, and never naturally wanted women that way. Still, I keep doubting everything. Is this real attraction or OCD feeding false feelings and thoughts? Can OCD create emotional or mental sensations that feel like desire? I’m so scared that I’ll lose myself, or find out something I never wanted. I just want peace and to feel like myself again.
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