- Date posted
- 2y ago
- Date posted
- 2y ago
As someone who is in the process of recovering from POCD, yes. I promise it sexual themed OCD does get better if you have the right resources and confidence in yourself. It's not easy, but believe me you can do it. I recommend looking up videos of people who have recovered for encouragement
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Unfortunately ocd is chronic. You can recover by understand that thoughts are thoughts and they don’t say nothing about you . Ocd is ego-dystonic. Just accept the thoughts as thoughts.. let them in. There not you. You are not your thoughts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I’m currently recovering from this theme and it definitely got worse before it got better. When I was in the depths of it, I thought I would’ve been suffering forever but nowadays it doesn’t affect me like it used to. My flare ups are bad, I’ll tell you that, but I know it will always pass so I just accept what I’m feeling and keep staying hopeful.
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@blazed Are you doing erp for it
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous415 Yes!
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- 2y ago
@blazed Did any of your thoughts come true? I know it’s ego-dystonic send against who you are and values, but did doing erp change you or make it true
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous415 From what I can tell, I haven’t changed but I’m choosing to remain uncertain bc if I reassure myself I’m going to fall back into OCDs trap. Remember; thoughts are just thoughts and they can’t change you no matter how convincing it seems
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- 2y ago
@blazed In your experience, did it make it feel so real? Like you just turned gay and that you now just have to accept that you’re gay now. Like Can’t help but noticing the same sex and analyzing if they’re attractive over and over. Or suddenly you think your friends are attractive and you’ve now have feelings for them. I don’t even know what’s real anymore and I just think I’ve turned now. Like I can’t see anyway around it. I just feel like I am and that this my life now.
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- 2y ago
@Anonymous It’s always makes it feel real bro. That’s ocd. If it didn’t feel real it wouldn’t bother you
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- 2y ago
@Anonymous415 Yea you’re right. It’s just so hard man
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- 2y ago
@Anonymous I feel you. I know how it is.. are you seeing help for it?
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- 2y ago
@Anonymous415 Yes, we’ll I’ve been trying. Had one session but have been needing to reschedule due to my new job.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous I’ve been through the exact same thing you’ve experienced and I know how awful it is :( as @anonymous415 said, this is OCD creating these feelings. If you were genuinely attracted you wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. Attraction is a beautiful thing but unfortunately for us, OCD will always find a way to distort our emotions.
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@blazed Hey had a few questions, it’s nice to talk to someone going through the same thing. Just feel so alone. How long did it take you to recover? Also how did you recover?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous I’m sorry you’re struggling with this, you’re not alone at all! I haven’t fully recovered yet, but I’ve made a lot of progress since the onset of this theme. It took me nearly a year to get to this point and I had a lot of setbacks because I didn’t know how to handle my OCD properly. But once I did, I purposely started exposing myself to LGBTQ+ content such as looking at pictures of same sex couples and reading coming out stories. I learned how to respond to my thoughts and emotions by using non-engagement responses and letting myself experience them without judgement. It feels impossible to since you don’t want to tolerate the very thing that hurts you the most, but mindfulness/meditation has helped a lot with that. I also started journaling, reading self-help books, eating healthier, and taking medication. OCD is arguably one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced tbh and recovery is a lot of hard work, but it’s absolutely worth it. It’s so important to be kind and compassionate to yourself during the process because it will feel very overwhelming and like it’s not going to get better, but I guarantee you that it will. Anyway, I’m on a long tangent rn lol but I really hope this helps you feel better ❤️🩹
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- 2y ago
@blazed Thank you so much for responding. This does help me and I’m really trying to work on it but in the moment it feels very difficult. I know it takes time but I’ve just been lacking in faith. My big problem is the mental checking, checking every guy to see if there’s any attraction and it’s so hard to stop doing because how can you really stop that? I can’t stop by not looking at all because that would be avoidance but if I do look it’s like an automatic thing and I get a ton of anxiety and groinal response which makes me feel like it’s not even ocd at all.
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@blazed What about exposing yourself to the same sex for ERP? How was that for you? How were you able to get past that without the mental checking and testing along with the anxiety and groinal responses ?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous Of course! Rumination and checking are two of my biggest compulsions also. Every time I see an attractive woman my mind would use it to prove I’m gay. I remember someone on here commenting that you can find someone physically attractive but that doesn’t mean sexual or romantic attraction. And this is very true; it’s human nature to find someone attractive! OCD will take things to the extreme and make you feel any emotion, urge, or sensation, which is totally normal. Unfortunately, the only way to stop doing compulsions is by tolerating the discomfort and anxiety when it comes. Whenever I have an intrusive thought, I would agree with it and accept that I could very well be gay, but I’ll be okay no matter what. I’m just like “if I’m gay then that’s great 👍 and if I’m not, also great 👍” but logically I know my sexuality can’t flip overnight. Doing exposures was very difficult and actually made my anxiety worse for a while. I had mental breakdowns very often, but I reminded myself that I’m doing this to live a fulfilling life. It will suck now, but life will become better once you make it to the other side. Make sure to check in with a professional, (whether that’s a doctor or therapist) as you’re recovering to have some additional support. Be proud of yourself for fighting back despite how painful and distressing it is!
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@blazed How long has the recovery process been taking for you?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous About a year.
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- 2y ago
@blazed Oh my. A year ? Man that is so hard
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- 2y ago
@blazed Thank you for answering my questions and helping me out. Just feels never ending
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
@Anonymous You’re very welcome! I know it feels like it’s infinite suffering but keep your head up—there are always brighter days ahead
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- 2y ago
And how extreme did it become for you?
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- 2y ago
How was that session
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- 2y ago
@Anonymous415 It was good. Poured my heart out and I felt heard. It was a relief to hear that there are many others who go through this and that I’m not alone. It’s easy to feel so alone with ocd.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 12w ago
Hi everyone, I’m Andrea and I am a member of the Intake Team here at NOCD. In junior high, I was known as the “aneurysm girl” because I was convinced any small headache meant I was dying. At just 12 years old, I read something that triggered my OCD, and from that moment on, my brain latched onto catastrophic health fears. Any strange sensation in my body felt like proof that something was seriously wrong. I constantly sought reassurance, avoided being alone, and felt trapped in an endless cycle of fear. Over time, my OCD shifted themes, but health anxiety was always there, lurking in the background. I turned to drinking to numb my mind, trying to escape the fear that never let up. Then, in 2016, everything spiraled. I was sitting at work, feeling completely fine, when suddenly my vision felt strange—something was “off.” My mind convinced me I was having a stroke. I called an ambulance, launching myself into one of the darkest periods of my life. I visited doctors multiple times a week, terrified I was dying, yet every test came back normal. The fear never loosened its grip. For years, I cycled in and out of therapy, desperately trying to find answers, but no one recognized what was really happening. I was always told I had anxiety or depression, but OCD was never mentioned. I was suicidal, believing I would never escape the torment of my mind. It wasn’t until 2022—after years of struggling, hitting rock bottom, and finally seeking specialized OCD treatment—that I got the right diagnosis. ERP therapy at NOCD was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Today, I’m 34, sober, and living a life I never thought was possible. Do I still have hard days? Absolutely. But I am no longer a prisoner to my fears. The thoughts still come, but they don’t control me anymore. They don’t dictate my every move. Life isn’t perfect, but it no longer knocks me off my feet. If you’re struggling with health OCD or somatic OCD, I see you. I know how terrifying and isolating it can be. But I also know that it can get better. If you have any questions about health & somatic OCD, ERP, and breaking the OCD cycle, I’d love to tell you what I’ve learned first hand. Drop your questions below, and I’ll answer all of them!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 11w ago
Looking back, my introverted nature and struggles to find belonging in high school may have set the stage for how OCD would later impact my relationships. I had my first relationship in high school, but OCD wasn’t a major factor then. It wasn’t until my longest relationship—six years from age 18 to 24—that OCD really took hold. The relationship itself wasn’t the issue; it was what happened after. When it ended, I became obsessed with confessing past mistakes, convinced I had to be completely transparent. Even when my partner was willing to work past them, I couldn’t let go of the intrusive thoughts, and that obsession landed me in the hospital. From there, my struggle with ROCD (Relationship OCD) fully emerged. For years, every time I tried to move forward in dating, doubts consumed me. I would start seeing someone and feel fine, but then the questions would creep in: Do I really like her? Do I find her attractive? Is she getting on my nerves? What if I’m with the wrong person? I’d break things off, thinking I was following my true feelings. But then I’d question: Was that really how I felt, or was it just OCD? I tried again and again, each time hoping I could “withstand it this time,” only to fall back into the same cycle. The back and forth hurt both me and the person I was with. By the time I realized it was ROCD, the damage had been done, and I still hadn’t built the tools to manage it. Now, at 28, I know I need to approach dating differently. I recently talked to someone from a dating app, and my OCD still showed up—questioning my every move, making me doubt my own decisions. I haven’t yet done ERP specifically for ROCD, but I know that’s my next step. Just like I’ve learned tools for managing my other OCD subtypes, I need a set of strategies for when intrusive doubts hit in relationships. My goal this year is to stop letting uncertainty control me—to learn how to sit with doubt instead of trying to “figure it out.” I want to break the cycle and be able to build something healthy without my OCD sabotaging it. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know healing is possible. I’m hopeful that working with a therapist will help me develop exposures and thought loops to practice. I don’t expect to eliminate doubt entirely—after all, doubt is a part of every relationship—but I want to reach a place where it doesn’t paralyze me. Where I can move forward without constantly questioning whether I should. And where I can be in a relationship without feeling like OCD is pulling the strings. I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with ROCD. Please share your thoughts or any questions in the comments below. I’d love to connect and offer my perspective. Thanks!
- Date posted
- 11w ago
Sorry long post. Anyone feel like now they’re just in extreme denial. Like when I was little I noticed guys more than girls in movies and was more drawn to them. I remember changing my mindset to switch that. 98%of my life has been straight until recently. I felt drawn to some guys but never thought of it sexually. Always had girl crushes dreams and porn. Now I watch porn and I feel like straight takes longer and then I go and watch gay porn and feel nothing until I tell myself it’s two attractive dudes and love is love and imagine physical sensations and then it hits like suddenly. Like I have to convince myself it’s alright. Then when I try again I can do all that but feel nothing and then straight porn works. Idk if it’s just getting a fix or the first time works with anything or what but it’s confusing. On top of that I’ve felt girl relationships including my wife maybe miss something and a guy maybe matches that feeling that but then I feel like I’d be missing something without a girl or my wife. Idk I’ve had some rough times in life with male figures in my life but idk. I feel like I have to convince myself more and more that I’m straight even more than the first time I dealt with this. Can someone relate? Please
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