- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Hey. Of all the things to have as an ocd theme, in my opinion, this is the roughest. I want to tell you, not from a position of reassurance, but as an objective fact, that their are TONS of people in the pocd community that talk about what it feels like and the symptoms they have and you fit every single description. A few things I would suggest: 1. Give up trying to prove to yourself if its true or not. You will never ever prove it for certain. The first step to getting better is to give up this pointless search. 2. Talk to your counselor about it dear god. Assuming they are familiar with OCD and intrusive thoughts, they probably won't even flinch. You gotta have someone to talk to about this stuff because going through it alone is terrifying. 3. A pedophile is someone whose primary sexual preference is for children, and who would enjoy carrying out sexual acts on them. Now, don't use this to prove or disprove anything. Don't jump to a "but what if thats me and I just deny it!?" I just mean it might help in realizing that simply having intrusive thoughts or vague memories of maybe once thinking a kid was attractive doesn't make you a pedophile. 4. Be kind to yourself. You're not a bad person. You're struggling with some really scary crap. Wishing you peace
- Date posted
- 6y
Hey, completely understand the struggle. I'm gonna give you the most honest answer I can- you're not capable of knowing at the moment. You (and I) have a disease that makes us chronic doubters. If I told you what the difference was, you'd be able to find or manifest evidence of the contrary to scare yourself. The first step is truly to give up the fight, the need to know and understand.
- Date posted
- 6y
I'm recovering by practicing unconditional self acceptance. I really really reccomend reading the book "How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything". Learn to accept the worst case scenario. This isn't the same as agreeing its true, its just making peace. Once that happens, and you truly "drop the rope" as it were, the anxiety's grip loosens. I still have some troubles but overall I'm heading in a positive direction. Best of luck
- Date posted
- 6y
Look, I could convince myself I'm attracted to my dog if I tried (She's real cute). That doesn't make it real. The more you search for a distinction, the more distorted and unsure you become, like when you say a word repeatedly until it sounds foreign. Give up the struggle, because this crap is like quick sand. The way out is to stop fighting.
- Date posted
- 6y
Yeah it all makes sense. It’s this thing about accepting the worst possible outcome as opposed to the worst probable outcome. Or put my simply just getting off the fucking bus and refuse to get back on. Strange condition
- Date posted
- 6y
I’ve been diagnosed with POCD and this is exactly how I felt. Your Counselor will know how to take you through ocd
- Date posted
- 6y
Really? Thank you for responding because sometimes I feel like I’m making it up or something. It’s so draining!
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you, that’s some really good advice!??
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you
- Date posted
- 6y
Anonk is very wise. I ask myself the same thing and it sends me down the rabbit hole rather quickly.
- Date posted
- 6y
I have this! But with teenagers! Is that the same thing?
- Date posted
- 4y
Hey. I have the same thing.
- Date posted
- 6y
Same anxiety and symptoms, just different age group. Also, teenagers are post pubescent, so that would not be considered a technical fear of pedophelia, but within the realm of OCD it tends to fall under the same name.
- Date posted
- 6y
Polythenepam, would you say you are recovered or still recovering by ‘dropping the rope’. I’ve tried hard to push this through to @anonk but was t sure as I had seen more posts asking questions about if others had had the same (which is the reassurance seeking with no pay off).
- Date posted
- 6y
Really good advice. Sorry to jump on the thread here, how do I know what sexual preference / attraction even is? As opposed to looking at a kid and thinking yep attracted. Don’t have to answer if too triggering :( thanks just really struggling atm
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you so much polythenepam. So good
- Date posted
- 6y
Crazy!
- Date posted
- 6y
I hate it but I’m really going to try taking your advice Polythenepam, starting with giving up the fight, I feel like that’s going to be the hardest step but I’ll try, thank you!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
TW So I haven’t been diagnosed with pocd, but many ppl said that I have it. I was in bed when I remembered this time when I first started experiencing what I hope is false attraction not actual pedophilia, I’m looking back on it rn n I’m worried it wasn’t false attraction, I remember feeling a sense of attraction when I saw that kid, I was about14 at the time and the kid was 11 or 12. I remember constantly searching to see if it was normal for a 14 year old to like a 12 or 11 year old, I was worried when I was doing that i think, I also kept walking pass her to look at her i think to check if i was attracted or not, but it makes me worried that I was attracted to her because im worried that i did it bc i was actually attracted. now looking back on it rn, I don’t feel panic, worry, shame, or guilt, I originally only felt panic and worry, never shame or guilt. Now I don’t feel any of it, not feeling panic and worry now makes me think that I am a p, I don’t want to be a p. I hope im not a p, Ive talked to a therapist and they’ve said that it’s pocd, but it wasn’t a official diagnosis, I’m worried it was a false diagnosis because I lied on one or two of the questions. I also constantly get senses of what I hope is false attraction when I see some kids, and I keep trying to figure out if it is real or false attraction. Also some other time today I was feeling aroused and I wanted to m#sturbate, but then thoughts of kids started popping up, I think that I didn’t like them, I’m not sure any more, but while I was finishing the thoughts kept comigg by, idk what it means but it felt like I enjoyed it, which made me worried, but after I finished the thoughts disappeared a lot more, idk why that happened idk what it means, could someone give me some advice pls?? I don’t wanna be a pedo. All of that happening makes me feel like I am one, can someone give me advice on what’s happening and what I am??
- Date posted
- 24w
I'm posting something after a long. I have multiple Ocd themes and my main themes of sexual ocd is incest Ocd and Hocd and POCD has never been so active but today something happened that has been bothering me for a while. I was traveling in a bus and there I saw a kid/young teen. When I saw him, I instantly found him so attractive and then BOOM.. I started feeling like I'm attracted to him. I felt confused. I literally found him attractive and also thought that he would look really fine after growing up his face was so attractive but I don't want to be into him at all. I feel like I'm so much into him. I'm feeling very bothered by this feeling. I feel like I'm in denial and I should accept my attraction towards him. I don't want to feel this way at all. I don't understand what to do, how to figure out this feeling. I'm 99% sure that there was an underlying attraction I felt when I looked at him and realized that he is good looking. I feel like dying from inside and extremely confused. He's not in my bus now and I feel urges to just see him once to finally figure out that I'm into him or not but he is not here. I think I'm a pedophile which I don't want to be and everything is finished now, nothing would be same in my mind because I'm so paranoid and feeling like I'm into him. Please somebody help me and let me know if anyone of you has ever felt this way having POCD.
- Young adults with OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- Transgender OCD
- Students with OCD
- POCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- Older adults with OCD
- Sexual Orientation OCD
- Date posted
- 24w
So I just read a Reddit post about how this guy found out that he was a pedo because of how he started feeling that he was still attracted to middle schoolers as a 14 year old in high school and it never changed even when he got into adulthood. I’m currently under the age of 16 and I’m worried of my attraction feelings I felt towards some kids I’ve seen on social media and real life, I’m not sure if they are false or not. I have gotten a diagnosis, I remember lying on 2 questions, saying I didn’t feel aroused and that i don’t enjoy the thoughts n feelings. I’m not sure if i enjoy the thoughts and feelings, and now im worried i about it, i dont feel worry dread panic or shame and disgust when I get those thoughts and feelings anymore. I also remember that when i was 14 I felt attracted to a 12 or 11 year old, i kept going back to look at her idk why, but i think that i was worried because I didn’t want to be attracted to younger aged ppl. Im worried that all of these feelings of attraction aren’t false and that they are a reflection of who i am. I do not wish to be a pedo, nor do I wish to like kids. I know that I won’t hurt kids, but I’m scared that I am a pedo because of the feelings I get. I don’t understand myself anymore, I hope it’s pocd not actual pedophilia, I don’t trust that diagnosis I got because of those 2 questions I lied on, I said that i don’t like those thoughts n feelings even though I don’t know if I really do or not, can someone please help me? Idk what I have anymore, I don’t want it to be pedophilia
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