Has anyone here recovered without therapy??

Start off by labelling your compulsions ... i.e. what is it that provides you relief with anxiety or reassures you that you are your “old” “normal” self. For instance, for me, when I’d come near a trigger/obsessive thought about being gay, I’d automatically imagine myself in the situation and see how i behave ... sort of like checking my hetero/homo behavior. I labelled this as compulsion and established that I will stop with this checking. The first week was ofc hell. I would unconsciously perform this. And then I started to notice how sneakily the mind suggests newer thoughts where we just HAVE to check. I caught that and worked on it as well. And with time performing no mental compulsions became a habit ... and i was able to sometimes catch how my mind wanted the reassurance and I was justttt about to give it, and then I would just say STOP. It’s simple but not easy. But within a week or so you start catching on to your mistakes and strengths. But what it comes down to is having the willpower to stop yourself, correcting yourself, being kind to yourself when you falter, and keeping at it till it becomes a habit. When it becomes a habit, you really start to become desensitized to the trigger. It takes time, but you’re very conscious of the progress.

I just started off with a therapist, but I stopped my avoidance and mental compulsions on my own. But as soon as I did that successfully, my theme changed, and now I have a therapist ... better do it with a professional.