Just a quick message of caution. Before I was diagnosed with HOCD, I was convinced I turning exclusively Gay, so I went to a therapist, shaking, full of dread, fear and anxiety, I explained to him my instrusive thoughts, urges and feelings.... And to paraphrase, he said the reason I was feeling this is way is because, and I quote "you are repressing your sexuality", "if you do not come out as openly gay and live the lifestyle, you will forever be miserable and always anxious", "I advice you to re concile between your faith and your sexuality or else you will continue to remain depressed forever" and he went on and on and on (I was shivering with extreme fear the whole time) That was without a doubt, one of the worst days of my life, I left the room with extreme fear, believing everything he said, convinced I needed to come out and begin the process of living as a gay man, even though I WAS DYING internally. I am not homophobic however I don't desire to live as a gay man (even if i do have sexual intrusive thoughts about males) I don't desire to be sexually active with the same sex, again my own personal choice, nothing against those who choose otherwise. So please be cautious regarding the therapist you see, ensure they are a OCD specialist because a general therapist who has NO idea regarding Pure O OCD will only make things worse.

That same day I told my mum, crying uncontrollably that "I think I am gay", she was shocked at first however she understood and was very compassionate even though I was incredibly uncomfortable with the whole idea, it felt strange because even though I was uttering that I was gay on my tounge, my heart didn't feel right at all, I began to come out to friends (who where also supportive) because I thought my anxiety and intrusive thoughts will reduce, it didn't, in fact, the symptoms just became worse and worse. When I was diagnosed with HOCD, my parents didn't really understand the condition but they are still incredibly supportive because my mum also has OCD however it's the usual contamination theme which most people believe is the only theme of OCD. Regarding seeing the right therapist, do your research, I've seen a couple of therapists and they seriously made my situation much worse, until I found an OCD specialist who is somewhat assisting my situation.

I just want to go back to the way I was, without these worries. I don’t know how to explain my condition to my parents without them freaking out. I just really need help.

No sorry, I am from Australia, it took me months upon months to find someone who understands this form of OCD, (I was really doubting I even have OCD). Yes, I am quite religious, I follow a set of morals and values which I not want to oppose, however I am also very compassionate and understanding to all peoples and the path that anyone chooses to take in life. I have been in therapy for months and I still have horrible days where my OCD convinces me I want to be Gay, I want to come out, I will always be miserable if I don't come out, I want to be sexually active with the same sex, etc. Etc. It never ends, however my symptoms have decreased, around a year ago, every single waking minute I was plagued by OCD, i thought I was going mad, so ERP really helps in decreasing the thoughts, It's exhausting.

I know how you feel, I feel the exact the same way and I'm sure anyone who has this debilitating disorder feels the same. Just read some books on OCD and try implementing the strategies, alot of online resources.

I was terrified to go to a therapist for this very reason. People who are not deeply familiar with OCD or recognizing it in their patient can do some serious damage.

Thank you so much! I think I’m going to reach out to him. How are you finding his treatment? How quickly did you start to feel better?

This is what I’m scared of!!! How do I know that a therapist will believe me or understand me? How did your parents react? Did they help and support you?

Are you in the UK? And do you mind me asking, are you religious? I want to tell my parents but I’m not sure they’ll understand straight away... I don’t feel the need to ‘come out’ because I don’t see that helping my situation, as they may jump to conclusions. I’m really struggling to find therapists in the UK who do ERP. I am just so panicked right now.

Find an OCD therapist who does therapy via Skype if there is not one in your area. https://www.cognitivebehavioralcenter.com

Have you/anyone else used this service?

Was it good? Did they believe you

Yes, I see an OCD specialist at the link I posted. This is the clinic of Dr. Steven Phillipson who is a world renowned OCD therapist. There are several OCD clinics that offer online therapy that I would trust. There is this one out of NYC, but there are also ones in LA and Louisville.

Most don’t take insurance, but have a tiered model where you what you pay is based on the experience level of the therapist, but they are all OCD experts and you can apply for out of network reimbursement with your insurance.

To further answer your question, yes they believe you and have such in depth experience with OCD that your spikes themes will require very little explanation because they will have probably treated the same issue many time before....no matter how unique you think your theme is.

I found it was helpful to just be able to talk to someone who completely understood. So there is somewhat of an immediate relief to an extent, but treatment takes a long time and a lot depends on how much work you put in between sessions. Good luck, I hope it goes well for you!

Thank you again. How long have you been in therapy with him (if you don’t mind me asking)?

I did about 3 months of individual therapy, then I took a break for a few months and I am currently in my 4th month of group therapy.

I don’t see Dr. Phillipson (he is like $450 per session with a huge waiting list). I see a post doctoral extern at the center. Everyone there is supervised and trained by him though. You just choose the experience level of therapist by what you can afford.

I’m scared to ask...but how much was each of your sessions? I really can’t afford expensive treatment...

$110 but that was awhile back. It goes down as low as $50 I think.

What made you go for the $110 therapist as oppose to the $50 one?

Just felt more comfortable with someone with more education. I have a doctorate, so I kind of felt like I wanted someone of similar education level to me, that’s probably just my own issues coming through though! I honestly think that anyone Dr. Phillipson has working for him will be great and anyone of them would be a better option than going in person to a local therapist who doesn’t understand OCD at all!