- Date posted
- 2y ago
False attraction?
Before hocd I didn't once care for men bodies, but during hocd it felt like I started to enjoy it. I don't like this.
Before hocd I didn't once care for men bodies, but during hocd it felt like I started to enjoy it. I don't like this.
So the very same thing happened to me with POCD. I said the exact same thing “it’s not the thoughts anymore, It’s the feelings”. For OCD specifically, fear can make us feel strange things. Also, some thing I’ve learned over the course of all of this we, OCD people, can often confuse fear with attraction. And my friend, please do yourself a favor, and stop trying to logic your way through it. Your feelings aren’t to be trusted. With that said the only way out is through. You need to find a OCD therapist Who will do ERP with you. ERP is really the only way out. It’s also the only way to feel comfortable again. Your fears and anxiety will probably tell you it will “make me gay.” But that’s crap. Believe me as somebody who was terrified that they were attracted to kids. I know the pain and discomfort quite well. ultimately I had to except that “maybe I am a p*****, ok whatever” and then set with all the anxiety that that brought and not try to push away. And eventually, my brain just realized that this is all bullshit. That’s not to say that I don’t still have it in the back of my mind some days, but it has zero input on my life anymore. You need to think of anxiety, induced by OCD, as going to the gym for your brain. When you go to the gym it hurts but after you’re done, you feel better than you did and you are stronger; Which is where ERP comes in and teaches you how to train to become stronger. Find an OCD therapist, who will do exposure response prevention therapy. You must do this!!! It’s the only way. And if I can do it, I know you can we too!
Great advice and so pleased to hear you're doing better.
I'm the same I wouldn't say enjoy it but men definitely appear more attractive than women and no offence to anyone gay that's just not my way of swinging. My whole life I had crushes on so many girls in school growing up and even have had multiple girlfriends. Hocd makes me feel as if I'm not the same person anymore. I really do hope after this my attractions come back and I feel like myself again because it's becoming extremely difficult to be happy.
@NeverGiveUp That loss of attraction feeling can be one of the hardest parts. I totally get that. For me it was probably one of the most devastating parts. If I’m gonna be honest, I still to this day I don’t feel like I’ve fully recovered my attraction. However, I think part of that is some thing I need to go to therapy again for and figure out what’s really going on and other variables that might be contributing to it. Doctor Michael Greenberg has a lot of good information on that. Also, one thing I would say to try out is to start heavily limiting your porn intake and see if you notice a difference like give it up for two weeks and see how you feel. May need to give it up longer but regardless, that might be a contributor. Sometimes when I give it up for a long time, I notice a resurgence of my attraction. I definitely think there is something to the idea that we get so desensitized to it that we start to feel “asexual”. To clarify, I am not a psychologist of any kind. This is just my opinion. I hope this helps however, please please please go to therapy. That will be really the only thing that can help you the most. maybe even look into psychedelic therapy. That also could be very helpful for people with OCD as a lot of research is coming out about it. But do not try psychedelics on your own. That is a recipe for disaster.
@NeverGiveUp LMAO, thank you for listening to my Ted talk 🤣
I don't enjoy it but it just feels like I do or want it. I used to really enjoy women's looks and just really wanted to be with one.
@mrein280 I know it’s strange isn’t it?
@mrein280 I think another way of looking at this is to think of this whole experience as a journey instead of something that needs to be fixed overnight. Journeys are often hard, very difficult, and painful. However, once you’re out from the other side of this, whether that’s one year from now or ten years from now, you are going to feel better than you did before you started this journey and will have new perspective. And, I believe acceptance of the thoughts is the key to make this journey a more successful one. Speaking as someone who felt like I need to kill him in order to happy ever again while I was in the thick of it, you will appreciate what you learn from this and the life you live so much more.
it’s ok. start to meditate , pray , think positive in am. every gets thoughts. keep fighting.
It's not thoughts it's more of a feeling
Ok so I’m a 17 year old female, and I’ve always thought I was straight. But I just really want to know how you would know the difference between so-ocd and actually questioning your sexuality. I have nothing against the LGBTQ community (in fact I am very much a token straight friend, lol) but I saw a video about comp-het recently and it sort of felt like what I was experiencing. I don’t want to be gay, I want to be with men, I want to like men, I’ve always liked men, but now I’m questioning whether or not that’s real? Because people can be gay but not want to be right? I’m single and I always have been. I think women are gorgeous, but when I try to imagine actually having any sort of romantic or sexual relationship with a woman it feels wrong, at least most of the time it does? Sometimes I’m less sure, and I’ve never been particularly boy crazy. I’ve liked maybe 2 or 3 people in my life, (not to say I’ve never found other guys attractive, but it doesn’t seem to be as often as most people) I have no particular reason to be afraid of being gay, very supportive family, safe area ect, but I don’t want to be, does that mean this is ocd, I don’t know what’s going on every time I say I’m straight I feel like I’m lying, but that might just be because I think about it so much. The idea of being with a woman doesn’t feel like something I would want, but is that just because I don’t want to want it? People online say things with so much sureness, if you feel like this it means this. Ect.
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
Idk what else to title this. I was watching a film cooper video cuz why not and he mentioned smthn about wall paper customization and icons and stuff and I just kinda had a groinal response followed by the memory of me having my first crush on a woman (my friend at the time) that helped me figure out that I’m bi and I felt kinda intensely for her but that’s cuz a) it was new and b) we were kinda on again off again friends who haven’t spoken in a few years now and I’m over her entirely. It was toxic I think. She was too much like the person who bullied me in elementary school (they were friends as well so my mom made me cut her off which is. Fair. Made me really sad but eh that’s life) I saw her at prom cuz someone brought her. It was nice to see her but yeah that was it. And now I’m mentally comparing what I felt for women in the past (idk intense crush, listening to a lot of gay songs (think she by dodie) dressing semi masc cuz funky, we had nicknames for each other despite not dating or anything) to men (less intense crush but still big crush, I’ve only dated and kissed men so sparks rhere) and now I’m just slightly nauseous and worried that I don’t like men as much as I like women but I think that’s normal for any bi person? To have different levels of attraction to different genders? Idk I feel gross and icky now like I shouldn’t even be thinking about it or her cuz I have a bf. And I do look fondly upon it, now I’m nervous cuz I got more excited about her calling me a specific nickname than I do from my bf calling me honey even at the beginning? Honey felt more traditional and I love it but we do switch around nicknames and it’s always nice, not many butterflies anymore, and sometimes I get anxious when he does lately, if it’s a nickname in Portuguese. Or if he called me a shortened version of my name. What does that mean? I’m nervous now. I was doing half decently today now I’m nauseous again. I’m worried that cuz I liked the nicknames she and I had that means I don’t like the ones my bf and I have and that I just don’t like him or men cuz I’ve been feeling off around him. But I love when he calls me honey, it still feels good when he does it now but no butterflies. Idk what’s wrong with me. Is it even ocd at this point. Even if I do like women slightly more it doesn’t erase that I love my bf. I’m worried I’m leaning too much towards women tho and I’m a lesbian. Idk if my bi cycle is cycling or if I’m just a lesbian entirely cuz I don’t feel much when my bf takes off his shirt, sex feels different, and things feel stale and slow. But maybe that’s cuz I’m checking and comparing. Now I’m anxious fuck. I’m trying not to think about her idk why. I’m worried I still find her attractive or am attracted to her or smthn. She’s in my city. I didn’t care before but now I do. Or if I think about her I’ll think about other women and will only want to have sec with women which not really tbh. I wanna be able to enjoy sec with my bf. It just hasn’t felt right lately cuz I’ve been so depressed and obsessive. I wasn’t obsessing much last night when we had sex but it still didn’t feel passionate. It didn’t feel uncomfortable but I thought it’d be more? Idk. I know it’s normal to not feel him inside me cuz the vagina isn’t very nerved up compared to the clitoris but it felt like more the motions. But tbh. I needed it. Idk I wanted to have sex and it was a nice stress relief. I just didn’t feel butterflies which kinda bummed me out but we’ve been having sex since august so that’s normal. Idk. I haven’t been able to fantasize about sex. The fact that I’m bi makes all of this so confusing. Cuz yes hypothetically I can enjoy the thought of sex with a woman. But I don’t want to rn cuz I’m dating a man. And I can’t fantasize about sex with him cuz I’m getting intrusive thoughts about my friends and I having sex. I have this urge to watch porn cuz it’s been a while but I’m not going to. I’ve cut down a lot on masturbation. Partially cuz this partially cuz I wanna do things with my bf (when I’m mentally ok) but jow my brain is saying “Oo you think all these women are so hot you’re gonna go feral blah blah blah” and yes women are hot but I don’t wanna have sex with a woman. Idk saying women are hot doesn’t bring me anxiety but the thought of sex with one or leaving my bf and saying I’m a lesbian bother me. Cuz I know it’s not true. I love him I know that. I’d be happy if we stayed together. I wouldn’t regret a thing honestly. I like having sex with him. Idc if it’s not like porn or the movies. As long as I’m being pleasured and he’s being pleasured we’re good. That’s what sex is about. I think the loss of butterflies is normal cuz the excitement of like (sorry tmi) fingering and oral eventually wears off right? But still feels good. I don’t feel as excited about intimacy anymore cuz we have done it so often but it still feels nice. But my brain perceives that as me not liking sex with men and therefore I’m gay. No I just don’t feel the need to jump his bones every single time I see him?? Idk the friend thing is bothering me. Idk if I feel any joy behind it. The groinal response really really throws my perception off
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