- Date posted
- 1y
HOCD/TOCD nightmare (I hope)
Warning this is going to be a long post and it’s me looking for help To preface I’m a 27 year old Male. I’ve had ocd as long as I can remember. My parents split at a young age pretty badly and my dad could be mentally and physically abusive. I felt dark and depressed at a young age. Body dysmorphia at a young age. Developed contamination ocd and washed my hands to the point they’d bleed. Also had messed up thoughts and images in my head. Felt off even when everything was okay. This continued and I eventually moved into sports (mainly wrestling) which helped me a lot I think. Still had it but it would come in waves. Through all this my mom was the most supportive. Got me a psychiatrist. Sat with me when I cried and didn’t know how to stop. She was truly an amazing parent. I remember thinking sometimes I’ll grow up to be a man and a dad who I hated in both my dad and stepdad and would never be as close with my kids because I wasn’t a mom. Especially because she carried me for 9 months. Other than that I’d say a normal nerdy boy. I liked super hero’s and fantasy over sports and trucks but normal. I had my first pure o episode with religion in 8th grade I think Wondered if it was all real after a convo with my cousin. Drove me insane. Eventually I got somewhat over it. As I got into high school I had HOCD at the end of my freshman year into my sophomore year because I had a thought about my friend. I’ll say I noticed male attractiveness more maybe in celebrity couples and wondered who I felt like I was imagining kissing in a movie scene here or there but always thought I was attracted to girls. Had sexual dreams about girls as early as 5. Chased them etc. I also had thoughts during the HOCD why do I notice the guy more and feel like I have to adjust my view to notice girl more. That lead to a couple days where I wondered do I like girls or want to be them. Anyways the HOCD went away. After my grandpa died my episode kind of faded I excelled at school and wrestling had a girlfriend my junior year but we broke up and went to college. That was my only serious gf. I also became really close to my coaches who acted as father figures and made me think maybe it’ll be okay that I’ll be a dad. I lost virginity my freshman year of college to a girl and otherwise felt normal. Still had ocd about wrestling and the occasional religious or sexual orientation question but otherwise normal. My junior year I finally entered a serious relationship. I felt great like I made it. Occasional thought of HOCD and wondered why I felt like the extra piece in a couple photos I took with her but good. It eventually got ugly and my college wrestling career was going down with it. I broke up with her my senior year of college. The HOCD came back. On top of this I had learned she had an abortion without me knowing and my mom had cancer. My best friend who felt like a spiritual oasis and made me feel safe had cancer. I had some other minor traumas too. I waited a year before I told her I had HOCD again. During this time I also dated around with women a lot before meeting my now fiancé. She said we will figure it out. A year and a half from graduating, my moms in remission I have a great girlfriend but I still have HOCD. Then I woke up one day and felt like my mind totally flipped. Sure I noticed guys were attractive, even got off to gay porn a couple times but was always sure straight was my reality. It felt crushing when I thought it flopped and felt real and I liked the thoughts. I was sick for a week with fear. This happened two more times. I kept dating my fiancé though and eventually got to a a manageable point. However it felt like it was always in the back of my mind. I eventually tried to really figure it out July 4 2021. I was sitting alone and thought why do I feel this? If I were gay I’d want to be the motherly one and the other would be the man of the relationship I guess. I always noticed I had a little bit of a feminine side and felt different from other guys like maybe a female/feminine brain but a guy and was okay with that. If I were gay someone else would be the completing piece. Then it hit me. “Omg im trans”. Never in my life did I want to be a girl. I questioned those couple days and maybe envied some female things but ultimately thought guys were cooler and it was better. However when I thought this it felt like a feeling of clarity like id figured out why I didn’t want to be a dad or man and be the bad half of life. Part felt good but also terrifying. I immediately texted my mom I think im trans and she said there’s no way. It wouldn’t leave me though it made sense somehow even if all the other aspects of it didn’t. Eventually the other aspects caught up and id be on and off about it but always had the thought you are trans in the back of my head. Eventually my mom died and I went manic. I lost her and I think I could be a woman internally. To think I didn’t end my life is a miracle. I eventually found a therapist who started to work through it with me. I had hen added another therapist who specialized in ocd. It still wouldn’t go away. The idea of it be better being a woman and the good feeling of being a mom stuck even if nothing else made sense. So basically I’m still dealing with what I hope is HOCD and TOCD. I’ve done everything. Read trans and gay forums. Masterbated to all types of porn with different scenarios getting mixed results imagining being with a man and taken dysphoria test, most recently telling me I do have dysphoria. To top it off I proposed to my now fiancé. From the first day I met her I loved her soul. I thought she was my answer. Through thick and thin she stood by me. Even after I told her about these thoughts when we were 2 years into our relationship. She means the world to me no matter who I am. I imagine having kids with her and it makes sense even with all these thoughts. But these thoughts made me think I’m doing something wrong and I’m in denial. Recently I’ve totally lost it to the point where I feel I know I’m trans and it kills me. I hate that there’s any positive feelings with it. I’ve been told by my therapist this could be trauma ocd and autism but it still feels like I discovered an ugly truth. I pray to God everyday this will go away and I’ll be happy as me but it doesn’t and now I feel like I’m about to make a big decision and leave my life to chase a feeling that may ultimately ruin my life if I’m wrong. I’d have to leave her, leave my job (I’m a firefighter) and the life I’ve worked and endeared my ass off for. Don’t get me wrong, being a guy isn’t totally bad. Something says being a woman and mom encompasses a part of me though that may have been the answer and makes life makes sense. Like a new filter on reality which makes no sense. I relate to pieces of HOCD/TOCD and to pieces of these forums whether they be gay or trans. I don’t want any of it. I want to confidently and happily marry my potential wife and have a family and love me but something says I can’t. I’m asking and praying that I can get help and someone can relate. Basically I want the truth but I’m afraid I may have found it and I hope somebody out there can help me see otherwise. Thanks for reading. I hope this helps someone else as much as I hope it helps me.