- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes OCD will do that. It sure happened to me. When I was getting better I one area onto the next theme. That’s why we need to be on top of our ERP and ultimately be okay with uncertainty. OCD has a lot of themes. When it realizes that the original theme is no longer as affective as it on e was (which was to make you worried, scared, doubt etc) it will go into another theme to reel you back in. It doesn’t want to give up the power. It hates losing. It wants to dominate you. That’s why OVD needs to be wiped out like you would if there’s rumor in your body. You don’t want the doctor to only take a portion, you want to get rid of it fully. Just keep realizing it’s your OCD. Once you recognize it is OCD, no matter the theme, then you know how to get better.
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes it’s very possible. When you’re recovering from a theme, OCD can try to do a lot of things to get you back into obsessing. It’s what your brain is so used to. Now that you are learning that contamination isn’t something to be so afraid of, it wants you to be afraid of something else. Since we’ve let OCD be in control for so long, when we start fighting it and are winning, it attacks in different ways. It can try to hit you with the same theme again, or hit you with other themes. Your mind is just used to questioning things. Congratulations on the progress and keep recovering ?
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes!!! Totally. I said on another post that It feels like I’m playing “whack a mole” with themes. When I feel like I’ve made progress on one, my anxiety finds another place in my brain to call home.
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Each comment has been very helpful. ?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I’m struggling with something I’m afraid to even admit out loud. I’ve been in a long-term relationship with someone I love deeply. He’s kind, safe, and emotionally close to me — and we’ve built a life together. But I keep obsessing over the fact that I don’t feel much sexual attraction anymore. Or maybe… I never truly did? At the beginning, I felt butterflies, excitement, connection — and I assumed that meant I was also attracted to him physically. But now, after reading so much and reflecting more deeply, I’m starting to wonder if I ever truly felt sexual desire in the way I was “supposed to.” Maybe my feelings were more about emotional longing, comfort, and romantic closeness — but not sexual chemistry. And now I don’t know what that means. OCD makes it so much worse. It constantly tells me: – “If you really loved him, you’d want him.” – “You’re leading him on.” – “What if you’re lying to yourself?” – “If you try to fix this and fail, you’ll have to leave.” I feel stuck between wanting to fight for this relationship — and being terrified that trying will just prove it’s hopeless. Has anyone experienced something like this? Can OCD really make you question something so deeply personal? And how do you move forward when even trying feels terrifying? Any thoughts or support would mean the world right now.
- Date posted
- 14w
Themes constantly switching. I’ve been suffering with real event ocd the last year and am currently in therapy treating it. it’s nowhere near as bad as it was last year and it’s felt like a nice break. there’s days where it gets bad but i can’t compare it to the stress of last year. However i’ve noticed every time i overcome a theme a new one hits me out of nowhere. i’ve suffered with ocd since i was 9, and ive had multiple themes. i’m in a 2 year relationship with my partner and it’s amazing. she’s probably my second proper relationship due to the fact my first relationship gave me so much fear to get into another one as i was cheated on, and needed a few years to get over that. i kind of guessed that ROCD would creep in at some point as it just felt inevitable. anyways, i know my partner is not cheating on me, she’s beyond loyal, we are so so in love but i think due to that first relationship i had, being cheated on really messed with my head. it’s like my brain is telling me my partner has someone else even though i know in my heart nothings going on, and i trust her with my life. i also think because im in the happiest relationship of my life, anything that would indicate loosing her makes me feel sick and riddled with anxiety. and i know that’s completely normal for everyone. i think the most frustrating thing is, is knowing that my OCD has finally crept into my relationship which is something i never wanted it to do. this is a brand new theme and i have no idea how to treat this. i will speak to my therapist but if anyone has been through this theme and any advice in the meantime i would really appreciate it :).
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 8w
Ever since starting ERP, my SO-OCD and general OCD has lowered. This has been great. I just wanted to have somewhere to share my thoughts and ask questions. For anyone else, have you realized that the SO-OCD and other forms of OCD are all rooted in what people have said in the past that I hadn’t processed, and up to this point believed hadn’t affected me. It was also odd because to me, I had never had a problem questioning my sexuality, even labeling myself as queer. However, this fear plagued my thoughts whether or not I decided to identity as straight, lesbian, bisexual, etc. It was so weird to me because it felt so foreign to how I’ve always been. I hated the guilt I felt over possibly being in denial or in the closet, over being homophobic, and all of that would just lead to constant stress and spiral. I felt so bad dating or being with my friends, on the off chance I was using them or going to cross lines. Progress isn’t linear, but I definetly feel so much better shedding the random fear I had of expressing affection towards my friends or of “using guys” to prove I was straight. Most of the time, I find that the stress comes from something really real. Like my past experiences with an old friend that I had or just not liking the guy I was dating and not wanting to lead him on. Being able to discern the OCD thoughts and stress from regular stress has been like a breath of fresh air.
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