- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
It seems like you are in a lot of pain over this memory. Your feelings are valid! It was a traumatic experience and you have some healing to do. Please don't add to this pain by blaming yourself. You deserve to live and you deserve recovery.
- Date posted
- 4y
I think i feel extra shame about this because I was raised to be a virgin until I was married. I was really sheltered and went crazy in college. Then after college my house was abusive and I was in debt with very low self esteem, and fed up with being screwed over by guys, so I tried this. I wasn’t careful and I just believed any man that spoke to me. Also my most recent ex boyfriend was a narcissist and would emotionally abuse me. He would bring up my past in fights saying “how can I marry you” and “anyone can record you. If we are married and something surfaces from the past I will divorce you immediately” I’m not sure what I’m afraid of. He wasn’t violent, he was just an asshole afterwards and was nice to me for the full month I talked to him before meeting him. My OCD constantly craves closure so I sometimes feel like messaging him and going off, but that would probably make it worse.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anxiousgirl It seems like you have made some healthy insights. You know your ex was abusive, and that messaging him probably won't help you. When it comes to the values we are raised with, it can be hard to question them. Just remember that you are your own person and can make your own decisions about what you want to be important in your life. No one who is emotionally mature would judge you based on past mistakes.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anxiousgirl The experience you had was traumatic and not your fault. You are not the one who should be ashamed, he is. As for emotional abuse, that can be just as traumatizing as physical abuse. You have been through a lot. I’m sorry your ocd is taking advantage of these traumatic situations. Have you brought up your suicidal thoughts with your therapist?
- Date posted
- 4y
@Nikki1809 I’ve bought it up briefly but she hasn’t been concerned I guess because I don’t have a plan or anything. I just get suicidal thoughts once in a while like “wow I wish I was just dead so I don’t have to suffer anymore” or “I wish a bus would just hit me”. I don’t have the guts to harm myself. Sometimes I act like I’m gonna do something in front of my parents for attention because they don’t take my mental health seriously. They just think I can snap out of things. I am really affected by this during the pandemic because I have more time to think and I’m off medication. I went 3 years just living life and keeping busy. The police and my therapists have just told me to think of it as a business transaction that went wrong and the other party didn’t hold up their end of the deal. The guy probably has done this many times and is a professional scam artist. I want to sit back and let karma take care of him but part of me and my pride makes me want to get the last word or reestablish my dominance. I just wish I can let it go. I made the decision and consented and I wish I didn’t have so much shame about it.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anxiousgirl I’m sorry. I think it counts as a traumatic experience. Just because it’s a transaction doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt you. It should be taken seriously by the people around you. Besides, my opinion is that if you were drunk your ability to consent was dubious at best. Even if you weren’t, it still wouldn’t be ok what he did to you, and you still wouldn’t be the one with fault. I know it’s hard but treat yourself with compassion around this memory. You recognized in your post that you were taken advantage of, so I think deep down you know this wasn’t your fault.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Nikki1809 He definitely manipulated me and took advantage. But the fucked up thing is he kept stringing me along saying he would date me and pay my first allowance the next week. He had me come meet him again at the same bar the night after and the same thing happened. I was so desperate at the time and didn’t want to whore around so I wanted to make it work with this guy even though I didn’t like what was happening. I was always uncomfortable but didn’t even care because I wanted so bad to get out of my house and get out of the debt I was drowning in. I learned later there are forums for these sites that give caution and advice for filtering out these creeps. I didn’t know anything and just winged it. These men manipulated me to think what they wanted me to do was part of it. I was so sick of getting screwed over in regular dating I figured why not try this while I’m single. I think obsessing about this 3 years later has a lot of ocd in it but yes it is traumatic. The hours of searching I did on porn sites was so exhausting. I hate constantly trying to check my reputation. Everyone tells me even if I was secretly recorded the lighting in a bar basement won’t make me recognizable and people can edit your face onto things. I just get extra obsessed because the guy knows my name. I need to be more compassionate towards myself. I just wish he would go to jail already or karma can get him so I don’t have to worry about running into him again. NYC is huge but my ocd still tells me I’m in danger, my reputation is in danger, I will be going viral etc. I hate this! But I know I have to sit in uncertainty. I’ve never been blackmailed or anything so idk why I’m like this.
- Date posted
- 4y
I have different issues and causes for my anxiety and depression, but I can empathize with your pain. Researching and reading books have helped me a lot. Try buying a book on a topic that you think might help you understand your situation and offer solutions. Brené Brown might be good for you. Reading this reminded me a bit of what you are experiencing too: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-release-shame-and-love-all-of-you/...
- Date posted
- 4y
Good read! Thank you ❤️ I am trying to read more self help books and I’m doing CPT with my therapist. It’s just extra hard to do brain work during this pandemic when I’m alone and bored.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anxiousgirl Keep at it, but I understand how hard it is...
- Date posted
- 4y
I have carefully read through your note and comments and want to give you a giant hug. It sounds like you grew up religious, or at least with expectations of living high standards. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and studied family life/ human development. If you want a friend to talk with, I am no therapist, but would love to understand your situation better. Blessings, Kimberly
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you dear ❤️ I was raised in a Muslim home, so these kind of things are taboo. My parents are still American and westernized, so I eventually opened up to my mom about this (however it’s not a good habit because my OCD seeks reassurance from my mother and she gives in to that). I was always raised to care about reputation. I am not shallow, but think if it was a younger more attractive guy and not some fat 40 year old creep, I wouldn’t feel so bad because it’s just not a good look for me at that age (I was 23 when this happened).
- Date posted
- 4y
Oh neat! I totally get the seeking reassurance (I’ve been through it too). I am so sorry that happened to you! One book that you might super enjoy is called Bonds That Make Us Free. If you decide to read it, I will reread it with you. It has been one of the best books to help me heal. Best, Kimberly
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- 4y
I will check it out. Thanks !!
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anxiousgirl Of course. And always feel free to reach out to me, with any progress you feel you’ve made or any extra support that you may need.
- Date posted
- 4y
are you in therapy/do you have access because if you’re worried about them maybe you should talk about it with someone
- Date posted
- 4y
Yeah I’ve been in therapy since I was diagnosed at 14 (I’m 27 now). I can’t afford my ocd specialist anymore so I talk with someone on the BetterHelp app that has experience in PTSD. Regardless I am still struggling. I have no insurance to get medication right now.
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- 4y
@Anxiousgirl i’m sorry you’re going through this. you can make it. you are stronger than you know x
- Date posted
- 4y
@cwllms I’m strong but not as much as I’d like. When I get in these funks I can’t concentrate on my work. I don’t want to lose my job over my mental health. I just become paralyzed and procrastinate my work
- Date posted
- 4y
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Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
Hi, I’m new here!! I’m praying I don’t get judged for this. But, back in late May of 2022 ( literally right before I graduated high school), I added this one random girl from my school on Snapchat. She posted something about a graduation party , so I swiped up on her story basically saying how I can’t believe we’re almost graduated. She replied and we had a really short and simple conversation. The next day ( i believe) , we started talking a lot , and I just so happened to see her at the highschool when we were grabbing our graduation outfits and doing the rehearsal. When I saw her irl, I kinda got turned off ( I heard she was kinda crazy) , and on top of that , she was a little ugly irl. I remember seeing her Snapchat bio , and she was close friends with my female cousin ( a year younger than me) , who I happened to experiment sexually with when I was 10-11 years old. I remember going to work later that day and having sort of a lightbulb flick thought ( it wasn’t a good thought though) , what if my cousin told her about what happened when we were younger? So I started to kind of panic and immediately distanced myself from that girl. I also experimented sexually with one of my female friends when I was 10-11 , and from that day onwards, I’ve been pretty much living in paranoia and a little bit of guilt about someone finding out and my life being ruined . On top of that, It’s gotten worse to now sometimes I wonder if a girl I added off of quick add ( Snapchat) is underage even if they told me they were 18+ or had 18 and above in their bio, and I get so much guilt and anxiety about that. I even had a quick thought last February on what if I did something inappropriate with my younger cousin when I was 15-16 but I just can’t exactly remember when it happened , and it still eats me alive when I think about it, because I don’t know if it happened or not. I’m sorry for the long vent, I just wish I felt normal again. No matter how much I try to do things that old me used to do, life always feels “ off”. I always kept the top part about when I was younger a secret up until early (ish ) 2024, then I vented to one of my best friends and he told me that that’s a normal thing to do at a young age. Since then, I have told multiple friends and they all say they did similar stuff, but my brain just can’t accept that. Please help me, I quite literally overthink everything nowadays. 2021 was the last full year that I felt normal ( coincidentally, the best year of my life so far) . It’s not just about sexual related things either, sometimes I’ll wonder if I messed up something at work or hit a car while driving/hit someone and drove off. I just wanna live my life how I was supposed to live it after highschool ( carefree and happy) before whatever it is ( I think it’s ocd) hit me unexpectedly. Thanks to anyone who read this , I just needed to pour it out regardless of how negative I felt typing this, I hope someone can relate , because I feel so alone in my head at times.
- Date posted
- 20w
Hi, I'm 17,about to be 18. I've been struggling with these thoughts for the past 8 months. I was wondering if someone experienced ever the same because I feel im "different". BACKGROUND: (I'm not diagnosed with Ocd but seeing a local counselor) About 9 months ago I cheated on my boyfriend with this guy S (who blackmailed, manipulated and molested me). Since then when I realized that what i did was very WRONG and so I started ruminating picking apart every single interaction and telling my boyfriend, i tried to remember every single detail because otherwise I felt like i was being a fraud and hiding things to save myself, i had many crisis about it because I had also what i think was false memory ocd. My boyfriend forgave me idk how tbh I still wonder. CURRENT STRUGGLE: Months ago I was sure I didn't wanna S in any way and i was sure even when everything happened. For the past 2 months tho I've been having thoughts like " Do I love S?" "I love S" "S is hot" "Would S find me hot?" "What if I want S?" " What if I don't love my boyfriend enough?" "What if I secretly want S?" "What if I see my boyfriend as a friend only?Do I?" And I tried testing my reaction to intimate scenarios with S, I'm scared I like it i dont really wanna love S or have any secret attraction, I wish I didn't have any of this and I want to be sure of my feelings for my boyfriend because I know I wanna be with him and I see a future with him like he brings me comfort. But a part of me keeps trying to convince me otherwise. Sometimes I think I'd rather die than have these thoughts. Im so scared of not being able to control my feelings, im scared I can't resist S and its giving me anxiety and making me cry. Sometimes when i think of those sexual scenarios with S or I get those thoughts my mind tells me to smile because i like it because I find it funny. It makes me doubt myself all over again. Like I'm always like I need to test if I'd feel aroused to intimate scenarios with S, lately im trying to fight this urge to test and test but my mind is like "just do it this once so you can be sure. I can never watch anything romantic or sexual or whatever because my mind would be like "you and S" or sometimes I'm just enjoying time with my bf and im like " yes we can just have a sneaky cheating thing thats ok" and it makes me want to figure it out to find an answer a solution because idk it just does like I need to find the meaning of it if it means the truth and all. Im worried im just an awful person and these thoughts just ruin my quality of life . Today i had a crisis where i ended up doinf swlf harm, I'm so scared of finding someone that's not my boyfriend desirable or sexual appealing or whatever it is, I also have bodily reactions when I try to imagine and test my reaction to scenarios. Now i keep groing everytime and I dont know why but i have this sensation and I dont want to havebit especially when its something S related. Does someone experience the same thoughts? Am I alone in this? Is this ROCD? What should i do?
- Date posted
- 17w
Hello all, I’ve dealt with various OCD themes and compulsions for pretty much as long as I can remember. In some periods of my life the thoughts and compulsions have been particularly severe, but I’ve also had years where I’m able to keep it under control. This has made me worry I don’t actually have OCD, especially because I haven’t been doing consistent therapy and my therapists have gone back and forth on whether I have OCD. In the past few years, I’ve struggled immensely with false memory ocd, and right now I’m going through probably the most severe episode of my life. I love my boyfriend with all my heart. A few times that I’ve gone out drinking I’ve had the thought before “what if I lost control and cheated tonight” and it’s bothered me severely. Two times before, it’s gotten to the point of convincing myself that because I talked to a man that meant I had cheated on my boyfriend and just couldn’t remember. It has never turned out to be true. About a month ago, I went out with friends and had too much to drink. I was really ashamed of myself the next morning, particularly because I always try to drink cautiously now that I know it can trigger my anxiety. I am ashamed to admit I do not remember the very end of the night getting in my uber and going home. I woke up anxious and extremely worried and immediately started off by worrying if I could have tried to kiss my friend and not remembered. I called him and was immediately reassured nothing had happened, I simply drank too much and went home at the end of the night. I started feeling better, but then remembered a moment I had been in the bathroom. I remembered chatting with people in line about how long the line was, and then being in the bathroom on my phone. I then felt like I remembered people knocking and saying to myself “that wasn’t that long” and leaving. There is nothing concrete that I remember that in any way indicates I cheated, and in fact I have texts with my boyfriend from the whole night telling him I loved him. My friend told me that the only time I was ever apart from him was about 5 minutes and that when he came back I was in the same exact spot he left me in. However, when I remembered being in the bathroom, I thought to myself “what if you cheated on him in the bathroom”/ “oh my god did you cheat on him in the bathroom” and then a series of images of me performing sexual acts popped into my head. I’ve poured over my memory and truly do not remember meeting anyone, talking to anyone, or even finding anyone attractive that night, but the fact that I was drinking makes me worried I’m just forgetting and these images could be real. I’ve been constantly ruminating on these fears for the past month, to the point that the only relief I feel is when I’m able to fall asleep. I’m a law student and it’s becoming extremely difficult to keep up with my classes. I’ve been google searching, asked chat gpt for advice, confessed my fears to my boyfriend, asked for reassurance from pretty much everyone in my life, and even emailed the bar asking for security footage (which I know all sounds insane). I’m a naturally guilty person and feel bad about small things, so I really don’t think I would be capable of cheating and then nonchalantly texting my boyfriend, but these images feel so real that it’s terrifying. I’ve also seen a lot about how I would “just know” and that begins to scare me because then I think “you do just know, you did it” even though I really don’t think I did. I know these posts are not supposed to be for reassurance seeking, I’m just so exhausted and feeling really depressed. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar and has any advice. I’m also wondering if images can feel more real the more you ruminate on them or if it’s a sign of memory. Thank you so much for listening.
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