Lina
- Date posted
- 5y
evkreyevkrey
- Date posted
- 5y
The fact that you have to call the feelings “false” leads me to believe there is a lot of compulsive analysis going on because this suggests an antithesis “real” feeling exists. You are compulsively analyzing the feeling and trying to filter it through a lens of “does this mean I’m gay or straight” or whatever orientation and analyzing. The more you try to be analyze and be certain, the more your brain thinks you’re not confident in your orientation and will keep sending these anxious feelings because you’re making them feel important. It’s better to let whatever feelings come up, come up and resist the mental analysis of “what does it mean that I had that feeling?” and trying to categorize it as “gay” “straight” or “bisexual” or whatever. It’s just data, and your interpretation of that data is a story you’re making up.
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
∆∆∆∆well said
Anonymous Anonymous
- Date posted
- 5y
I also have false feelings. I used to hate the thoughts that I had (I have rocd/hocd) and now I find myself having a somewhat good feeling from the imaginary scenarios I make up in my head, but then it makes me feel guilt and sadness I ruminate on for hours at a time because I love my boyfriend more than anything (we have been together for 4 years) and I have always been attracted to him, and now I’m having trouble with that because of these thoughts and feelings.
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
What makes the feeling "false"?
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
I don't even know my thing is that in the moment it genuinely feels like I enjoy so i try to ignore it for as long as possible and then end up doing a compulsion and finding out I don't like it or don't want to. But in the moment it feels so convincing it leads me to a compulsion. Don't even know if false feelings truly exist or im just looking for an excuse for my fear to be false when it is really well and maybe deep down I know it but don't want to admit it. At my wit's end at this point.
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
@Lina Really true not really well*
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
I think if you're feeling it, it's real
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
Feelings change. That's expected
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie So you're saying that my feelings are true and my fear is true?
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@Lina Feelings being true doesn't mean the fear is true.
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie You had a feeling. ALL feelings are allowed. There are no unacceptable feelings
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie I guess I'm confused by what that means. Feelings of liking it doesn't mean I like it?
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@Lina What is wrong with liking something?
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie I'm saying liking it, whatever "it" is, is not a bad thing like your fear says it is
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie You liked it? Cool, that's ok. You didn't like it? Also fine. Your feelings flip-flop? Totally normal
Anonymous Anonymous
- Date posted
- 5y
I didn’t know I was making it up, but I have read several people talking about false feelings. That’s why I thought it was a thing that people had experienced.
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
I don't think it's a matter of making it up. You believed what you read. That's fine. It's just unfortunate that you read something that added to confusion instead of clarifying anything
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie People who have experienced ocd firsthand and from what I've seen on Instagram they describe false feelings and even say they happen. Even ocd recovery talks about it on his account.
evkreyevkrey
- Date posted
- 5y
I’m just saying your interpretation of what ever is going on is playing into OCD territory. A lot of ppl use the term “false feelings” kind of like “pure o” as a way to identify and bond through symptoms but both terms are kinda misnomers, and wouldn’t be wise to use when you’re dealing with ocd. Anything you try to declare with a definitive statement, OCD will spin it and find evidence for the contrary. “Well that was a ‘false feeling’ but what if this one was ‘real’?” And so on. Or you try to celebrate not having any “false feelings” only for you to spike and spiral back down the rabbit hole Bc you’re telling your brain to always be on alert for “false feelings” vs “real feelings”. You beat ocd by not going into this battle of analysis for certainty and simply accept you had a feeling. This alerts the brain to dial back the intensity and importance of these “feelings”.
ocdillustratedocdillustrated
- Date posted
- 5y
@Lina I know they do. I think the need to label feelings or thoughts as "false" or "real" is a symptom of the disorder, not an accurate reflection of reality
LinaLina
- Date posted
- 5y
@NOCD Advocate - Katie Oh ok, thank you guys for clearing that up.
evkreyevkrey
- Date posted
- 5y
@Lina The truth of the matter is if you knew 100% the feelings were “false”, why do you keep endlessly ruminating and analyzing them? You wouldn’t have HOCD/POCD or whatever theme generates these “feelings” you’d just ignore them, but for whatever reason you’ve decided to give them importance and told you’re brain they’re a threat to your identity. Bottom line, calling the feelings “false” is an inherent rejection of accepting uncertainty Bc you’re trying to be “certain” they’re false so you can protect your identity and tell yourself “I’m definitely straight” or “not a pedo”. This is nothing more than a compulsive mental ritual.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 5y
What do you do then with these thoughts? Just like ignore them, say they're just random thoughts and move on? To not ruminate on them obsessively etc?
evkreyevkrey
- Date posted
- 5y
This article should be helpful to you or anyone else who reads this thread and struggles with how to respond to the thoughts: https://www.ocdbaltimore.com/how-to-respond-to-unwanted-thoughts/
Related posts
ocdinglehopper
- Date posted
- 24w
false attraction/impulsibe feelimg
so, my intrusive feelings started over a thought about a guys arms being attractive, and i still think big arks are attractive, but i hate his face? and his personality, so would it still be false attraction? if i like his body but not his face or personality because i have every single false attraction sign, but i just like his arms/body. someone please lmk!!
What is happ...
- Date posted
- 24w
Curious question about false attraction
Just curious, how does the false attraction feel to you? I believe people say they are different. I’m not reassuring, just interested in other peoples experiences. Mine feels like my chest is crushed with anxiety, when I notice a good looking male, it feels like I’ve just missed being hit in the car (that fear sensation). I feel sick after the thoughts. I also feel my face screw up which may be a compulsion which I’m trying to stop.
Shaodidi
- Date posted
- 21w
ATTRACTION FEELS TOO REAL, CANT STAND IT
I was scrolling on insta and I saw a post of a kid, I felt a sense of attraction, idk if it was false or not. I hope it was, I got worried and the kid kept popping up in my head, I kept trying to stop it because I can’t stand not doing anything and feeling attracted, I don’t wanna be attracted to kids, im fucking tired of having to deal with all of this every day. I can’t tell if it is real or false attraction, all of this is so annoying, I can’t even listen to music properly without feelings of attraction showing up. I’m not able to tell if it’s false attraction or not anymore at all, it feels way to real to know, I keep hoping that it’s all false, and I hope that I have pocd not actual pedophilia because I was never disgnosed, I was also exposed to porn at a young age, and I’m worried it causes pedophilia. Please help me with these attraction feelings I can’t tell if they’re real or not anymore. I can’t even tell if I’m distressed, panicked, disgusted, or shamed. I don’t feel any of those feelings anymore, idk why, idk how to deal with this stuff anymore, I don’t even know if I have ocd or not, I’ve only ever gotten one short diagnoses that said I have ocd but I lied on 2 questions about feeling arousal which I do, idk why, and the other about liking the thoughts, which I said I didn’t, but in reality I don’t know if I do or not. Also only certain kids trigger the attraction feeling, it makes me worried I’m a pedo because it’s only certain kids that cause it, kind of like a “type” (edited)
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