- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
ERP: “I might have a thing for her. Oh, well. I guess we’ll see.”
- Date posted
- 6y
It would be abnormal if you didn’t have thoughts like that when HOCD is flaring.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m sorry you’re struggling. I am too, that’s why I’m here. I know you weren’t gay shaming, I have no judgment about you, your relationship, your identity, or anything other than that we both have OCD issues. I’m currently dealing with major guilt issues. So my affecting you made my guilt soar. It just escalated very quickly! Clearing the air, I really didn’t mean to sound any negative or triggering way to you. I’m just very open and when you mentioned you’re in CBT I thought discussing worst/best case scenario examples would be okay. I didn’t realize my comment would make things worse and knowing what I do now, I wouldn’t do it over again.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m so sorry you are struggling. I’m sorry I also made you feel guilty. It was actually fine to discuss those :) don’t feel bad! I only spiked I guess cos I thought you had HOCD and from that found out you were gay.. but I didn’t know it was to do with guilt... please don’t feel guilty. You deserve to be happy. This life is short. Chase and cherish whatever makes you happy. Thank you :) and I’m sorry again. I wish I could be of more help xx
- Date posted
- 6y
Basically I love my boyfriend and I dream of marrying him, and waking up next to him everyday. I was doing okay with OCD like doing my exposures, right now I’m struggling and I don’t want to spiral
- Date posted
- 6y
The thing is, curiosity doesn’t make you gay at all. It makes you human. Sometimes I get thoughts about men now but I know I’m not interested because it was never right for me and because (similar to you) I’m in a monogamous relationship with someone I see myself with forever and know that I can say no to any temptation - man or woman - for her. The same way you can for your boyfriend that you love.
- Date posted
- 6y
Sorry your comment was very triggering. I have an OCD. And diagnosed, so please refrain from it. I love my boyfriend that I’m with. And I’m happy being straight. There’s nothing wrong with being gay, I never said that.
- Date posted
- 6y
@shishi
- Date posted
- 6y
Sorry to have triggered you. It wasn’t my intention, my intention was to share my past experience with questioning worst case scenario as CBT. I’ll remove it for you.
- Date posted
- 6y
@shishi HOCD is different to being gay, so please do not post something that might trigger someone
- Date posted
- 6y
@shishi your OCD wasn’t HOCD then... it was something else. That connection you described, I’m happy for you but I’ve never felt that with a girl. Only boys. And love with only boys. So whilst you thought your message wasn’t bad, it set me back a few steps in my recovery. And now I feel awful.
- Date posted
- 6y
Maybe it’s best if you stop shaming me. I’ve stated my intention. Ive deleted my well-intentioned post. I’ve apologized for the result. Like come on if you’re sensitive to OCD triggers you shouldn’t go out of your way to make someone feel guilty. Thanks.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m sorry I’m not angry at you. I’m sure you didn’t mean to sound the way you did. Im just upset and anxious right now.
- Date posted
- 6y
And I’m really struggling
- Date posted
- 6y
Im sorry, to avoid misunderstanding - I know there isn’t anything wrong with being gay. I’m actually a huge advocate for gay rights. I just struggle with HOCD and losing my sexual identity as a straight person. @shishi also was that your intention? Because I wasn’t gay shaming at all!
- Date posted
- 6y
@shishi I’m really sorry, but I’m kind of struggling badly and I’ve spiked terribly :( not to say this is your fault AT ALL but can you go back to what you said about your HOCD and your CBT? I just want to know if it’s different to what I’m going through :( sorry
- Date posted
- 6y
@nicole310 I can assure you if you do not feel sexually interested in women as you do with men, you are not gay. I think we live in one of the hardest times for people with HOCD today. The nature of entertainment, ads, celebrities, everything is centered around women’s beauty. Even male models are being praised for having characteristically feminine features. So I truly don’t want to make it worse. But I can try and help carefully
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks, it’s hard for me because before HOCD started I used to get random thoughts about curiousity with the same sex but that’s all it was. Thoughts. I never did anything. After HOCD, it’s like whoah why did I think that etc etc. it’s terrible. And now I definitely don’t want to (even though my mind tells me that’s what I want) I was hoping you could share your experiences with HOCD? If it’s too much, that’s okay :( I understand 100% and I don’t want to trigger you at all.
- Date posted
- 6y
It’s also hard because HOCD diminishes sex drive all together so it’s very confusing. My psychologist said it’s all part of OCD and anxiety.
- Date posted
- 6y
@shishi some insight please?
- Date posted
- 6y
Sorry it took so long it was harder to talk about than I imagined it would be - it’s not something that I ever talk about with people anymore really
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you so much. I’m really sorry to ask that of you. I really hope you’re happy now and I wish you the best in your OCD recovery
- Date posted
- 6y
No problem. I removed it in case it was too much for anyone else.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
Im a 21 year old female in a straight relationship with the best guy a girl could ever ask for. About 2 months ago, I went to get coffee with a friend and as I dropped her off, I got a “weird” vibe from her and the look she gave me which lead to the thought of “should I kiss her”….Ive never had a thought like that before and I never have ever wanted to kiss another girl. I have also never had a desire to be with another girl (sexually or romantically). Now though, I have had one other experience of being with a different friend going to get lunch and it felt weird. Ever since then I have been on google non stop with hundreds of different searches, questioning if im lying to myself of my boyfriend, wondering about my past relationships even though Ive only dated boys, been attracted to boys, crushed on boys, etc… boy crazy! Reading on other forums has been a big thing too or doing quizzes. I believe its SO-OCD but im so scared that what if its not. I am in therapy and actually had two weeks of not even thinking about it or googling it until yesterday. I dont know what to do.
- Date posted
- 13w
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
- 10w
trigger warning!!!!!! I’m really scared right now. I’ve been reading Elle Warren’s articles about her experience with HOCD/SO-OCD, and it feels so similar to mine. She went through the same fears of being a lesbian, felt distressed by her attraction to women, and spent hours ruminating, Googling, and analyzing her feelings. She even experienced groinal responses and revisited old memories, just like I do. Eventually, she had a moment of realization in college when she flirted with a girl, and everything clicked. She now identifies as a lesbian. I’m terrified that the same thing will happen to me. I thought the OCD fears were supposed to never be true and that HOCD thoughts are usually just compulsions that don’t end up being real. But reading her story, it’s like I’m seeing my own experience mirrored. What if it clicks for me, just like it did for her? What if I realize that I am a lesbian? Elle’s story makes me so scared. I thought my feelings of attraction to women were just OCD-driven, and now I’m questioning everything. I thought I was straight, but now, reading her journey, I’m wondering: could my OCD fears actually be real? Elle’s experience was very similar to mine: • She got distressed when she thought she might like women, not relieved. • She spent a lot of time ruminating, Googling, analyzing, and comparing. • Her attraction to women only became intense when her OCD flared up. • She said things like, “I feel peace when I believe I’m straight.” • She had already been diagnosed with OCD and had a history of this pattern. After years of fear and distress, Elle had a moment of calm and realized that it was true. I’m scared that this could happen to me too. Will I have a similar moment of acceptance, where everything clicks and I realize I’m gay? Or will I come to accept that this is all OCD, and that I’m straight, with the possibility that I’m not? I also keep thinking back to when my OCD lessened the first time. Did I go back to men because I wasn’t actually attracted to women, or was it just because the grip of the OCD had loosened? Elle also talked about the shame associated with non-heterosexuality. She mentioned that, like many of us, she had internalized stigma around being gay, and that it made her fear the possibility of being non-heterosexual. I can relate to this so much—growing up, I never saw it as an option to be anything other than straight, and now it’s hard to shake that fear and shame. Elle mentioned that she found reassurance in seeing other people with HOCD who worried that their fears would come true, but eventually realized they were just OCD thoughts. That idea is comforting, but also a little scary, because what if that moment of realization happens for me too? What if I finally accept that I am a lesbian? Or, what if I’m just struggling with OCD and eventually realize I’m straight? I just don’t know. The scariest part is that, just like Elle, I feel like I don’t have any obvious signs. She had no idea she was a lesbian until one day, everything clicked. She was 21, just like me when my OCD fears really flared up, and she had a breakthrough moment in Denver when she made friends with lesbians. That hasn’t happened for me yet, and it’s terrifying to think that it could happen in the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m really scared about where this will lead.
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