I'm sad because my attractions are completely flipped now. It feels as though I'm attracted to girls and not attracted to guys at all. Every attempt to be attracted to a guy is forced and feels not genuine. Every girl I see now I get full on arousal. The feeling towards girls is so intense now that even if I do experience real attraction towards guys it feels fake compared to girls. I'm disgusted. I don't like this. I feel like I'm being touched without my permission in a way. Has anyone experienced this and then went back to normal?

pureolife

Date posted: 5y

Yup! I had this when I went through HOCD. And yes, it went back to “normal” once I recovered from my theme. I know it’s incredibly scary and disturbing and frustrating, but all of that is perfectly okay. The best thing you can do is learn to let these feelings happen without judging them. “I’m super attracted to women right now, oh well!” The more you can allow the feelings to happen completely and then let them pass without getting wrapped up in them, analyzing them, judging them, etc. the better. In fact, the more you can approach them with amusement and curiosity (“oh wow, that’s funny I feel that!”) the easier it will be to let them pass. Are you doing any form of treatment for your OCD? Some ERP could really help you work through these feelings and desensitize yourself to triggers.

Idk

Date posted: 5y

Hey! Can you talk to me about your experience with your hocd?

hateocd123

Date posted: 5y

I have therapist, but he's not really familiar with OCD or ERP. He kinda tells me to do the opposite of what everyone on here says. I'm not in a good place financially right now, but I'm trying to figure something out with getting a new therapist. Your comment helped me so much. Thank you!

pureolife

Date posted: 5y

@hateocd123 OCD therapy is very specific and counter intuitive to a lot of general therapists. It’s important to see a therapist who has been trained appropriately. I went to a regular therapist for years who was great with almost everything except what ended up being OCD that she couldn’t understand, diagnose, or treat because she had zero experience with Pure O. I can also tell you that the experience of waking into an OCD Specialists office and having them say definitely “oh yeah that’s OCD and not weird at all for that theme” is an important and amazing step to take.

Ridethewave

Date posted: 5y

Any advice on how to combat the intense thoughts and anxiety in the morning? That's when they feel the most real

pureolife

Date posted: 5y

@NocturnalGyal Mornings are the hardest for most people! I think acknowledging that and making extra time for yourself in the mornings is important. When you wake up, remind yourself that the thoughts will be more intense for awhile but get better throughout the day. Make a calming routine for yourself and most importantly: be kind to yourself. When it feels hard to get through, show yourself compassion: you’re doing the best you can with the tools you’ve got right now. It’s okay to feel sad or frustrated or scared. But you’re brave enough to get through this. Give yourself some slack and understanding. You deserve it.

Ridethewave

Date posted: 5y

@pureolife Thank you so much ❤️ I'm happy you're in the right track!

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