Purposely Picturing Taboo Things?

Am I the only one who experiences this, or is it more common than I think? Sometimes, I find myself imagining what a couple’s sex life might look like, or what a person’s body might be like. I think it’s driven by curiosity, and I focus on it for a few seconds. When it comes to family members, teenagers, or anyone I feel uncomfortable imagining in this way, I used to be able to shake it off as an intrusive thought. But lately, I can’t seem to let go of it anymore. I’ve become used to the anxiety, but I’m stuck questioning what this means about me, especially since I’ve taken time to think about it. This is really stressing me out because I feel like a pervert. I’m hoping that this is something more common than I realize and that OCD is just distorting something. I feel like I really need some insight here. Any advice?

Username: Tim FlahartyTim Flaharty

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 6d ago

Hello, The thoughts that you are mentioning are common. Interestingly, it appears that the thoughts themselves are not what causes distress, but what they might reveal about you. Obsessions love to target things that people cannot feel certain about to get them to perform compulsions. In early stages of ERP it's important to remember to accept the uncertainty rather than trying to find it through compulsions. Hope this helps!

Username: CobraManCobraMan

Date posted: 7d ago

My OCD brain does the same thing, where if I feel relief from anxiety and an intrusive thought comes in I ask myself “shouldn’t I be more afraid of this thought?” And then I get anxious about not being anxious haha

Username: Andrea WellsAndrea Wells

Date posted: 4d ago

Yup. Sounds like OCD. And it can shift in severity, like sometimes like you said you can brush it off easier, but other times it sticks and doesn't shake off the same way. Then you start questioning what it means about you. It's really distressing. This is definitely classic OCD and very common. You are not alone! And please know that with the right kind of treatment you can find relief from it too so those thoughts don't stick like that.

Username: Bruce MBruce M

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 3d ago

Taboo thoughts are perfectly normal and all people experience this from time to time. When we have OCD we become scared or worry that it means something. Really everyone has strange intrusive thoughts and it doesn't mean anything. Let the thoughts be there and and don't fight them or try to block them. There are also lots of good tips on the Patrick McGrath Wednesday night webinar on the NOCD page on YouTube. Or really any NOCD webinar can be helpful. Go ahead and check out some of the videos. In addition you can contact NOCD for a free 15 minute call to discuss further. They can offer more detail than I can here. https://www.treatmyocd.com/about-us/contact-us

Username: issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 12w ago

worried about intrusive thoughts during sex

Hi everyone, I wanted to reach out to see if anyone else has experienced something similar with OCD and intrusive thoughts. I’ve been struggling during moments of intimacy because intrusive thoughts, particularly ones related to POCD, feel so ‘sticky’—like they’re all I can picture. Even though I really want the thoughts to go away, they persist, and I’ve been trying not to avoid intimacy because of them. However, that makes me feel like I’m somehow ‘enjoying’ the thoughts or images, which I really dislike. It’s like my brain is playing this awful trick, and it’s leaving me feeling confused and gross. I guess I’m supposed to not let the thoughts bother me and continue as if nothing’s wrong, but I’m scared that by doing so, I’m almost training myself to get off to them or something. This fear makes it so hard to trust myself in those moments, and it’s been overwhelming. If anyone else has been through this, how do you handle it?

Username: issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 5w ago

Help, Meta OCD/POCD?

I’ve been feeling the urge to avoid intimacy or purposefully engage (for reassurance that I won’t give into a compulsion) because of intrusive thoughts and fear that I’ll “check/test” my reactions. My OCD is making me so scared that I’ll purposefully think of a child and try to see if I like it. It’s so complicated but I guess I’m mentally checking if I would mentally check during intimacy. I’ve even envisioned myself checking and it’s making me so nauseous. I know it’s a compulsion like any other but the sound of “touching yourself to the thought of a child” sounds atrocious and vile. I’m terrified I’ll automatically start checking next time I am being intimate. I truly feel so worried. If anyone has gone through something similar, I’d appreciate hearing your experience. Or if anyone has any advice?

Username: Em2003

Date posted: 13d ago

Morbid/weird questions?

Does anyone else struggle with this? I get a sense of dread and then I feel like the need to find the answer. For me it’s about like sexual reproduction or like some other taboo topic. Especially anything reproductive related to children or pets. I feel so awful after researching. I don’t know if the compulsion is to research or to ruminate about my intentions after researching. I have a hard time understanding why this happens I’m assuming it a question of morality? Like “what does this say about me if I wondered this and looked into it?” Does anyone relate to this?

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Purposely Picturing Taboo Things?

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