I feel stripped of who I was before. I hate this. I'm afraid it's all true.

You are not!! I felt this way and here I am. We are all in this together!

It's making me feel like I have been lying to myself, that every time I was attracted to a woman it was lies. I don't even want to talk about POCD. I always wanted a wife and kids.

@Fury I never wanted to talk about it either. It’s so scary and unsettling. I always wanted children as well, and when my POCD was happening it took all that future away from me, which made me so sad. But you can get out of this. I didn’t think I ever would

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas Thank you Kyle. Have a merry Christmas

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas How long for u to be better?

My mind is making me feel like i have feelings for men and i keep thinking of good looking guys etc.. and the thoughts get more expilcit 😥

@Fury Of course I hope you have a lovely holiday as well!

@avh202021 Personally, it took about 5 weeks of ERP therapy for me to notice a substantial decrease in my anxiety. It can vary for everyone but progress is progress! I had a point in therapy when I was feeling better, then my thoughts took over and I regressed. But I pushed through again and have been very good ever since.

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas I just want this gone from my brain and my full attraction back for women. This is hell 😥

@Ihateocd83 I’m sorry you’re going through this. It is so exhausting, but truly shows how strong you are/can be. Exposure therapy can help you overcome these thoughts and get back to the real you. OCD latches on to anything that bothers you the most and tries to convince you that you are someone you’re not.

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas Thanks mate. Its very convincing. Any erp tips mate ?

@Ihateocd83 Of course. So I am not a licensed clinician, but I can offer tips that I use to help myself in the moment. When certain thoughts start flooding in, I will start singing a song that I love. I sing it as loud as I can in my head until the thoughts fade away - that has worked really well for me in the moment. Especially when I can’t do an actual erp exercise. I will be honest with you, I also tell my OCD to screw off lol... it’s good to talk back to it. Bc it’s a bully, and I don’t want to be bullied.

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas I must admit i do get angry and say why me. I do break down alot 😥

@Ihateocd83 I direct my anger towards the OCD. Gives me more will to beat it

@Fury I feel like giving up this doesnt even feel like hocd anymore 😥

@Ihateocd83 OCD is so exhausting.. remember that you are so strong and so courageous for being able to talk about all of this. Do you have access to an ocd specialist?

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas No i dont and i cant seem to get one. Im from the uk. Im doing cbt but not sure its working 😞

@Ihateocd83 So ERP is the most effective form of treatment for OCD. When looking for a specialist, you’ll want to make sure they have true expertise in ERP. That is the most important thing. I’m so sorry we aren’t able to provide you with support currently - we are looking to expand internationally eventually so stay tuned for that. We want to help everyone in the world who is suffering through OCD!

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas Thanks mate i appreciate your help. Exposure is what im struggling with because im not sure what to do ?

@Ihateocd83 That is where an ERP Specialist has to come in and help you identify what would be best in regards to your personal exposures. ERP is a very delicate thing that needs to be done properly and with an ERP expert. But I will tell you, it works wonders!!

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas Where do i find a erp specialist mate ?

@Ihateocd83 IOCDF.org!

@NOCD Advocate - Kyle Lucas Is that in the uk ?

@Ihateocd83 A UK site is OCD action. They have everything you are looking for

@Fury Cheers buddy

@Fury Cheers bud

@Ihateocd83 I hope it's good for you.

@Ihateocd83 IOCDF is international!