So honestly the worst part of (what I think is) my OCD is the "groinal syndrome"... My intrusive thoughts were fading, but now all the doubt is creeping back in because of it. I know that I'm not what my thoughts try and persuade me I am. My whole identity is much more solid now than it was when I was at my worst. But at the same time, the anxiety is still there and the groinal response thing has started to come back recently... I try not to do anything compulsive but a lot of my compulsions are mental ones so I find myself doing them before I can even stop myself. Am I just going to be stuck with the anxiety & the physical manifestations forever?? Because even now, after I have learned about OCD, and after things started to get better, I am still experiencing it. I'm terrified to get a diagnosis too, in case they tell me it's not OCD or in case there's nothing they can do to help me :/ Ach I hate this all so much ?

I mean, the thing is everyone experiences groinal sensations, even non OCD folk. Sometimes it just happens randomly and sometimes if we see something sexual. It’s just how our brains work. The amygdala of our brain is very primitive in that sense. Sex is just sex, even if what we see doesn’t align with our sexual preference. This is even more common amongst women. Women typically get more aroused by anything related to sex, regardless of what it is. You can look up non-arousal concordance. It’s super interesting stuff to read about. Just makes sure you don’t fall into the trap of reading that stuff all the time for reassurance like I did lol.

The groinal used to be the absolute worst for me. It was what definitely kept me stuck because sometimes it would just genuinely feel like actual arousal. And I couldn’t accept that possibility so I would do weird rituals to make sure to “undo” it. But I promise you the less you question it and just allow it to happen, the less frequent it will become. You can simply acknowledge the fact that you experienced a movement/sensation in your groin and not question it. It sucks at first, but it will get easier over time.

Ah thank you for this haha, I'm glad someone else also struggles with the same symptom! And I guess you're right about not questioning it. Probably the less you pay attention the less likely it is to happen again

this is absolutely a symptom i still struggle with. you are not alone. i wish i had advice but the person above me really hit it all!!

@Koko Puff Ahah yes I actually did find out about non-concordance, and it was a bit compulsive to read it for me too haha. Since I started stopping compulsions my anxiety about has increased (which I guess makes sense, and I know it'll go eventually). You explained that really well though actually - it always helps me to know about stuff and to know it's not just me ! Thank you :)