- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
For themes like ours, the past is always going to contain “evidence” that supports our fears. Looking back to the past for answers is actually a compulsion in this case and I’d encourage you to stay out of it. If you find yourself ruminating over the past, turn the scenario into a statement rather than a judgment: “in the past I said I was trans. But that doesn’t mean I am or am not trans today.” Always lead with uncertainty with OCD. You will never be able to 100% “prove” things one way or the other.
- Date posted
- 5y
I have TOCD as well. It ALWAYS reaches toward my past as proof. It’ll tell me the times I was attracted to women I actually wanted to be them. Then I get thrown into a tailspin. It’s awful.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you guys so much! I’m so glad I’ve downloaded this app. Right now I’m at a stage where I’m concerned with the thought “am I just in denial? Am I faking this whole OCD thing?” I’m not anxious but these questions flow through my mind a lot. This has really helped me. I’m gonna ask my mom (when I get the courage lol) to get me a therapist and hopefully get my life back together. Thanks again, I have zero regrets downloading this app. I love you all❤️
- Date posted
- 1y
@Anonymous Hi my love, how are you now?
- Date posted
- 5y
I want to do therapy, but my parents are strictly against it and I can’t make my own decisions because I’m 15. The thing that really messes with me right now is my past and my actions that seem to prove that I’m trans. Thanks for helping
- Date posted
- 5y
Also, since your parents won’t allow you to see a therapist, I’d suggest at least doing some reading on your own. There are some great OCD workbooks out there that can help you tackle this on your own: https://ocdla.com/ocdreadings
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks for helping! But I don’t forcefully think of my past. My brain just goes “hey remember that one time you.......” and so on. I’m just really scared it’s not OCD. Telling myself statements doesn’t help that much but I’m still trying. I really want to get this over with. This is the only thing I worry about. I’ve heard so many people on here tell me that it’s OCD and that I’ll be fine but I have a never ending doubt in my mind. This whole thing started when I was on vacation and the thought just hit me. There was no buildup to the thought. It just came with no prior warning. I’m really scared and I panic a lot but sometimes I just feel numb. I’m scared of everything in the future. I got a homework assignment asking the question “how do you see yourself 10 years from now?” and I couldn’t think about it without going “you’re gonna be a guy 10 years from now.” This is messing my brain up. I can concentrate on my everyday life, my schoolwork, my homework and my daily tasks but the anxiety is always there. The thought always comes back to me. When I get one of these thoughts I immediately go “no!” and grab my head in my hands. Talking about it makes me feel a little better but it always comes back.
- Date posted
- 5y
It tells me I’m dating my bf just cause I wanna look like him
- Date posted
- 5y
Are you currently in therapy? Have you seen an OCD specialist and started ERP? Everything you’ve said here seems like a clear indication of OCD to me, but just knowing it’s OCD isn’t enough to heal. You need treatment. Once you’ve gone through ERP with a specialist you can certainly do it on your own, but I’d encourage professional help the first time and especially when a theme is getting out of control, like it sounds like it is now. I have trans OCD as well and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I know it’s a terrible feeling and I know that the world and your mind seem to be turning against you right now, but there is a way out with treatment.
- Date posted
- 1y
@pureolife Hey, how are you know?
- Date posted
- 1y
@jmarrero27 Hi there! I’m guessing you’re checking in because you also have this theme hah. I am doing great in terms of my ocd. While I still get the occasional intrusive thought about it, it really doesn’t affect my day to day life. Therapy with an ocd specialist was a lifesaver. And it’s helped me navigate other themes since.
- Date posted
- 5y
Sorry that was long. But it feels good to spill out feelings like that. I just wish I could have a different obsession.
- Date posted
- 5y
Ah I see. So these connections to the past ARE your intrusive thoughts. Restructuring and reframing thoughts will still be helpful. It’s a basic practice in CBT. If you do get a workbook for OCD, you’ll be asked to identify the cognitive distortion of your thoughts and reframe them. Over time it does slowly change the nature of your thoughts and your reactions to them. As far as saying “no!” to the thoughts: that’s called thought stopping and it actually has the opposite effect :/ it will make the thoughts come up more often. I’d encourage a more mindful approach: acknowledge, allow, refocus. “I’m having the thought that I’ll be a guy in 10 years from now. I’m allowing it to be there without reacting with compulsions. Now I will refocus on what’s in front of me.” And just let the anxiety dissipate on its own. At first, this may make your anxiety higher. But it will drop and is the only way to really deal with these thoughts in the long run. If you haven’t read this article yet, it does a great job at demonstrating how TOCD and actually being trans differ. https://medium.com/@jemima.s/tocd-why-we-re-seeing-transgender-themes-in-cases-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-bf4b869a3817 if you’re like me maybe you’ve already read it a ton of times. And in that case, you don’t need to. I don’t want it to be reassurance, just information. I am seeing an OCD specialist and was formally diagnosed a few months ago. Everything you describe sounds very similar to my experience and the experiences of those on this community with their own themes. Do try to get a few books to get you started. You may not have every resource available to you, but you have that. You may also have to push your parents a bit for help and perhaps convince them over time. Sometimes the first time we ask doesn’t land and just needs repeating. You don’t even have to tell them about your theme. Just that you’re suffering with your mental health and would like to see someone for professional help to get back to your best self.
- Date posted
- 5y
I’m going through it right now, tough shit but acceptance will always take you to the other side of fear, it will take time
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I need too know that I'm not insane, really. I am 16 and for the past two weeks, this has been completely ruining my health and happiness. I only recently came out as a lesbian like 3 months ago after a lot of confusion about my attraction since I used to think I liked men. At first, I felt so sure that I liked women, but lately, I've been having these unwanted thoughts about the possibility of liking men. I never used to feel this way, but now, every time I look at a man, my brain obsessively fixates on it. It forces me to imagine kissing him, loving him, things I don’t want, and then tries to convince me that I do. It’s painful. The thought of this fills me with fear and anxiety, leading to panic attacks and breakdowns. I don’t want these thoughts. I hate them with every fiber of my being, but I’m terrified that one day I’ll act on them and somehow like it. I used to think I liked men, but back then, I was in a very unhealthy space in a time of escapism and something deeply parasocial. I’ve only ever liked the attention and validation a man could give me, but these experiences are somehow treated as further proof that I’m "bisexual." I’ve never been in a real relationship with anyone, which makes my brain constantly challenge me—telling me, “You don’t even know what love feels like.” It won’t shut up. It keeps obsessively trying to make me prove that I’m a lesbian, testing my reactions and questioning my certainty. Is this normal?
- Date posted
- 18w
I’m sobbing right now. I’m convinced that I’ve been in denial all along and that it’s all real. It has to be now. I don’t wanna be a boy but I feel like there’s no way I’m not one if I’m doing these things. There’s no way I’m a cis girl if I’m doing these things. I’m so fucking done with life I feel absolutely trapped. I don’t wanna be a man but fuuuuuuuuck I think it’s real now I’m so fcking done with living. I really feel like I’ve been using OCD as an excuse/a cover up and I’m scared it’s all a facade. There’s no way it’s not real now I’m literally so fcking scared I want it all to stop. If anyone has advice please send some my way. I need it badly
- Date posted
- 14w
I tried checking if I like gay stuff and it’s genuinely disgusting to me. I can tell whether or not a man is attractive and when they are it does scare me and makes me question myself yet, it’s always the same response, I don’t get how you can do that with another man. Doing anything sexual just feels so gross and wrong. I don’t think that I am magically turning gay. I don’t think my orientation is changing or hasn’t been explored. I simply find that stuff gross. I have never had anything wrong with gay people and I am a true believer that people have choices they can make with free will so it’s not that I’m homophobic, just keep that stuff away from me lol. Saying so, I don’t get why I am getting these thoughts. These images in my head, constant need of checking if I fall in the spectrum, constant checking whether I like someone of any gender, constant checking whether or not I am getting groinal responses. No matter what answer I get, my mind still wants an answer, an answer to the next question that it’ll create after answering the one before it. I have always liked girls and always been so proud of it, I am in a relationship right now with a beautiful girl I’ve had a crush on since 2nd grade. (I am 19) Whatever mental illness I have has ruined our relationship. Everything feels forced on my side, I don’t remember the joy I had before this but I have glimpse throughout the days of the things we’ve done together that makes me happy and look forward to life. I am constantly checking to see if my attraction is still there for her and the scary part is, when I am stuck in my head, I am not but, to alter that, when I get that freedom and feel like my normal self, I get a hyper amount of love for her and it feels so nice. These thoughts all began after me and my girlfriend had an argument, 5 months ago we got in an argument over her not giving me enough space. She always wanted to be a part of a plan with my male friends. I never minded her when it was just us two so it’s not that I hated being with her, it was just that I had no time to be independent. ( I also had no job and nothing going for myself. ) One odd day after spending so much time stuck in the house due to weather, I had random thought on whether or not I truly loved her. We were only 4 months into the relationship so I didn’t have an answer and since it felt like I needed an answer, it became obsessive, I couldn’t stop checking. After hours with that thought, I started to wonder whether or not I was interested in other things like K I D S. This thought was an automatic no and I began to fight it. I wasn’t going to accept that, each day felt like a living hell. The questions would change each day, do I miss my ex, was my ex better, do I like my M O M, do I want to K I L L so and so, do I want to kill myself. One day I woke up and had it all in control, felt like magic, after I watched a video on ROCD and realized, oh, I am not the only one but, this is where my compulsions got even worse. I couldn’t stop checking the internet, seeing if I relate to others, watching more videos. I regret this everyday because this compulsion created so many new thoughts and questions for me to answer. About 2-3 weeks went by and a thought passed by that has been stuck with me since along with other thoughts. I thought back to what I did as kid and in the past. I remembered a traumatic event where my brother touched me (5yr old M) inappropriately. This made me question whether or not I liked it and I couldn’t find an answer, couple years (10yr old M) after that I unfortunately did the same to my cousin (8yr old M). I feel so much shame and guilt for it. My mind turned black and white, “Maybe this isn’t a do you like your girl or not but instead, maybe you just like boys I mean, you obviously never asked yourself if you like what you did so”. This question was terrifying for me because it meant that I could no longer love my girl, my whole life till now has been a lie. So I began to question everything in my past up to date to find an answer. No matter what answer I fed my mind, it would not be satisfied and simply create more questions. It felt like my mind was forcing me to be gay, whether or not I liked it. 4 months has passed and the questions have just gotten worse, something I was initially so afraid of. I am in constant fight or flight mode, I am always anxious and I can’t feel nothing. I get times of relief when I am reminded of my past, when my gf turns me on, or when I find an answer to question my mind conjured up. I started to go to church but it’s always been a struggle for me to believe. I can’t go to the gym anymore because everywhere I look I am questioning myself. My porn addiction has went away but mostly because I can’t find anything attractive anymore. I can only find comfort and discomfort. Something that was once so easy for me would 1 day be nonexistent and hard to live without. I don’t know what the truth is anymore. My life feels like a made-up lie. Though I have always loved women, fantasized about them, get extremely nervous around them, pray for them, romanticize them, etc. I now have no idea what it feels like to be in love, interested, or even happy for a woman. My attraction hasn’t vanished completely, I still can look a girl and be stunned, l simply just can’t destroy the feeling it gives me. I get so anxious and begin to question everything about the women, the feeling, myself. I am having a crisis.
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