Tested the images during sex and felt strong arousal to it and then felt so terrified and confused so I tested again and felt arousal again. I’m so terrified, this obviously is real and isn’t OCD anymore. I don’t even want to have sex anymore
Here is an article that might help, if you want to read it. It seems like arousal and gornial response is the same crap. Just that with ocd you do not like and scared by it. https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/pocd-arousal-not-sign-real-desire
https://impulsetherapy.com/groinal-responses-in-ocd-what-they-are-and-why-they-happen/ “For instance, an OCD sufferer who experiences a groinal response when they pass a child on the street has no true sexual attraction to that child. Instead, they are repulsed by the idea, which is exactly why OCD terrorizes them so. Twitching Pulsing Tingling Vibrating An erection (if male) or increased lubrication (if female) Increased heart rate Sweating Rapid breathing Orgasm (in severe cases this may happen)” People can even have an orgasm
I had this happen to me for a month or two. It goes away. The more you freak out about and and test yourself, the more it’s going to happen
Hello, I would strongly recommend you read into “OCD Groinal Responses”. These are physical reactions caused by anxiety and may appear as arousal but are an anxiety response. I’m not sure if this answer is reassurance-giving so anyone please let me know and I’ll revise it. I just felt this was scientific information that was good to share since it pertains to OCD ❤️
@catbee I’ve heard about the groinal but this felt like arousal. And it was in the middle of sex so it felt like I was turned on by it.
@Jul14 Have you talked with a counselor about this? I had heard on a podcast that the groinal response is different for everyone, so what you may perceive as arousal can be the groinal. Please reach out to them, I believe they can help greatly even if the topic is taboo as they are familiar with all themes of OCD. I’m here for you and I hope you feel better soon. ❤️
@catbee I have talked to someone but this happens every 1-2 months and it’s hard to believe it’s just OCD :/ And thank you I appreciate it.
@Jul14 No problem, and since you are in a state of distress, I would recommend to ground yourself, step outside for fresh air, and do something you love. ❤️ It’s uncomfortable as I also feel urges to do compulsions, but I feel that if you can sit with the discomfort while still being present in the moment, you slowly fight the OCD. And it may lessen the anxiety as exercise and being in nature often calms us. And all humans deserve a break anyways. :) ❤️
People even experience having an organism after a thought, image, hearing or seeing something that is even somewhat sexual in nature for the brain. “What this tells us is that our genitals are often reacting entirely to what is sexually relevant; not what we actually want and value. The term for this is arousal non-concordance (Hall, Binik & Di Tomasso). Just because it is sexual in context, we may immediately experience arousal. When we see, hear, touch, taste or imagine something that is simply sexual in nature, our brain may send out a message to your genitals to get all fired up. And like it or not, then they do. Our brain might not wait to consult with our true values and preferences before sending this message. The brains just sends the message on through. This is true for everyone, not just those with OCD. This is also true at times when you really want to be aroused, but your genitals didn’t seem to get the memo (Bradford & Metson). You guessed it. Arousal non-concordance” https://www.madeofmillions.com/articles/whats-going-ocd-arousal/amp
@Anna,hi! Thank you for the article. It’s hard to remember this when it happens. I just have to trust my diagnosis I guess
Sorry with the spam, but I think they are informative and can be helpful ❤️
@Anna,hi! I appreciate it, thank you. It’s such a hard thing to experience and something that I can’t talk about outside this community so sometimes I feel so alone
Hey what is this relating to? I also have fear with being intimate because of intrusive thoughts. I haven’t had sex in like 2 months :(
@Anonymous-r It’s a taboo type of theme so it’s just even more terrifying
@Jul14 If it’s POCD I am going through the same, don’t feel ashamed by it. Stay strong. Your ocd is telling you you were aroused by a thought during sex but really you were just aroused by the actual sexual act. Ocd will tell you anything to trick you!
Hi wee bee , I am the same as you. It’s so tough! It is as if your groin is on fire lol. Why can we not have these feelings with real desire
@🐝 I have been sort of trying ERP on my own (which is prob not the best idea) watching tik tok videos of babies and children. But sometimes I’m like is this a compulsion coz I’m like “I didn’t have an intrusive thought” or “I didn’t have a groinal” - so I don’t know if I can even count that as ERP atall. My therapist is starting it though next week properly with me! I am scared but also hopeful for recovery. How about you?
@🐝 It’s sooo tough isnt it!! Thought stopping is something I do absentmindedly which is not good 🫣 it’s as if I get a weird anxious feeling, and then stop the thought :( reassuring myself is my biggest compulsion too. I think tomorrow I’m going to write down my compulsions and safety measures so I am aware of them!. Yep, groinals for me are automatically, and like it might even come on just randomly during the day, without any thoughts or triggers! My therapist said when I feel a groinal and I’m faced with a trigger, to just let the thoughts flow and not do anything to reassure myself. I try so hard to but end up being like “it’s okay” into myself 😂 do you follow obsessivelyeverafter on insta? She had a really good workshop for taboo theme OCD. Sometimes I feel there is no harm in information seeking though, as long as you’re not using it to reassure yourself. Hope this info is helpful for you, I’m not reassuring you!! Lol
My flare up started in September and spiralled from there, from about intrusive thought during intimacy- really annoying 😓I think if you are overdoing it like constantly on Instagram it’s not healthy but for information those pages are quite good to have because this theme is not talked about enough!
Pocd feels real again and I can’t tell if I’m actually attracted or not. can’t believe it got this bad again. I used to be able to go “no I don’t like that, go away” and now it feels like I do like it and want it, and it’s starting to linger longer so it feels more real. I’m avoiding checking but I’m so scared that what if it’s true. Is it because I have not been doing my exposures? I’m not sure, but every time a 14 year old person comes to my head, I keep hearing something go “they’re attractive” and it sounds like me so I panic, and it makes me even more scared because I’m not feeling bad about it??? I saw some kid at Walmart that had long black hair and my brain kept saying shit and no matter how much I say I don’t feel that way, it won’t shut up, i want to check 1000 times to make sure. But I know it’s not worth it. I’m trying so hard
Just gonna vent, this never happened to me before during my 20 years alive. Whether it is POCD or not, I have truly lost my sense of self and my innocence. Why of all things did this have to happen. Ive been experiencing more strong groinal responses and mixed feelings of arousal regarding specific thoughts. Its so odd, cause last month none of this happened, it was mainly just anxiety and mental breakdowns. Never did I think I would experience physical sensations as well. Acting on compulsions as well left me feeling absolute confusion, Ive stopped doing that but now I get the urge here and there, and Ive learned to sit with the discomfort. All this leaves me with more questions on whether I will truly get through this or not, or if people will understand my situation. On certain days I feel fine, on other days its sheer terror. I blame myself mainly for this all, It is scary as these images, causing both arousal and terror, only result in me feeling like a shell of my former self
I don’t know if my hormones are extra wild this month or what, but I have been having so many POCD thoughts lately. It feels like I enjoy them in the moment, and then a few seconds later, I get this tiny flicker of *wait I don’t think I actually want to enjoy that.* It’s scaring me a lot. I was watching adult videos for the first time in about a year, since I had been avoiding them because of my OCD. I know they are not good for anyone, but I felt like i could (ironically it felt like a tiny win that my OCD had calmed down enough). But while watching, I had like 3 separate POCD thoughts. And it felt like I liked them. Like genuinely *liked* them. I don’t know if maybe my body was mixing up physical pleasure and mental pleasure, and then my brain inserted those not okay thoughts into the situation, which got tangled up with the pleasure responses I felt mentally and physically. It is all really confusing. I just feel so scared. I know OCD thoughts are supposed to feel real, and that once you get desensitized to the anxiety, they lose their power. But this feels like I am *actually enjoying* the thoughts, and that makes me want to cry. I’m scared that I actually like these thoughts when I’m really aroused :( Please help.
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