Am i reassuring myself ? When i get intrusive thoughts about tocd (trans ocd) im always like - you dont want to appear as a man outside so youre not trans.

One strategy I am learning in therapy right now is agreeing with your thoughts and accepting the uncertainty. For example “Maybe I do want to look like a man. Maybe I don’t. I’m going to keep going about my day and accept the uncertainty of not knowing for sure.” I thought my therapist was crazy when she first told me this technique because I have spent so much of my life trying to counter and say the opposite of the thoughts I am having and reassure myself that I do not feel that way. But my therapist said that is fighting with the ocd monster, and that’s an endless fight because it never ends and you will never come to a conclusion or answer. Another technique is agreeing to a worst possible scenario. For example when I have triggers related to physical illness or getting sick and I have a headache and I worry it’s something seriously wrong with me...I can say “I have a headache, I definitely have brain cancer.” And move on. It sounds awful, but I tried it several times and It has been working! I think sometimes saying it almost makes you realize how absurd the statement is. It also helped me come to the conclusion that I don’t know for sure and that’s okay. And if I do have brain cancer than I’ll deal with it. Basically living in the uncertainty!

Yeah his is reassurance Maddy. Try thinking ‘I’m going to acknowledge this thought and let it go’ - for now it just has to be about successfully observing your thoughts and not reacting to them. Or you can also try this when you have a tocd thought: step 1 ‘this is an obsession/obsessive thought’ when your brain reacts to that, step 2: ‘I’m having this thought because I have a brain disorder called OCD, where my brain sends me false messages and signals’ and then tell yourself you’re going to refocus on whatever you’re doing. I’m ONLY JUST learning these types of behaviors now and it’s been almost a year and a half I’ve been dealing with this, but I’m noticing improvements, like I can go to work, get out of bed, function at least somewhat to what I was like before. You’re gonna be okay, it’s just constantly remembering this isn’t you it’s intrusive thoughts.

thank you so much!! ?

This*

No problems. This is hard, but we got this❤️❤️

thank you for the advice! ?