- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I'm here if you want to talk. I feel you completely. X
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you Molly, I appreciate that. It's hard to explain this to folks without OCD and thus no shared experience.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
I'm not a therapist, merely a patient and fellow sufferer, but what you described is in fact textbook ROCD. You're not alone in this, though it can seem so preposterous and intrusive that you can't imagine being anything but unique. I can tell you that when the cycle gets really bad and/or goes on long enough, even though you think there's no trigger you are actually still dealing with the latest trigger, or any or all of the triggers you've been going through. Our systems have gotten used to being on high alert. The bottom line is that the thoughts are irrational and don't reflect actual emotions. And you will not be able to think your way to feeling what you want to feel. Even if you felt the right feelings, the ROCD will still want to cause trouble. If it's at all possible, I highly recommend getting into ERP therapy.
- Date posted
- 4y
How are you doing at the moment? Has this ruined relationships for you? X
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
Doing a lot better but still find myself looking over my shoulder in fear that the next cycle is looking to get me. My therapist is helping a lot with this, mostly by assuring me that this is a totally normal part of the process. And this has actually made my relationships stronger. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by people who see the real me, even when I can't.
- Date posted
- 4y
Was it jjst your SO it affected or your other relationships too? X
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
@mollyyy Just my SO. Taking someone who's OCD and throwing in a surgery to their SO, then a week later going into lockdown ... things can go haywire in the brain! Fortunately, I have amazing loving support from her as well as some wonderful support from friends. And of course, NOCD.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Anonymous That's good to hear. I just constantly question and iverthink every little thing, trying to be more present but this am I looked at him sleeping and was like 'do I want to look at this fave for the rest of my life, what if I dont find him cute enough etc'(he is pretty beautiful lol) and I was present in that moment so now I'm like blahhhhh. Haha my SO is super supportive but he doesn't fully understand so he gets frustrated too. He's only human x
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you both for your responses. I know we're not supposed to seek reassurance, but I haven't felt safe in my body or identity for days now, and it's unbearable at times. I scheduled a consult with a NOCD therapist to get back into ERP.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
Yes, reading articles for reassurance is a compulsion; and I think it's safe to say that most everyone who has ROCD and other subtypes has done this, myself included. Ultimately, you just want to feel better and there's nothing wrong with that, so you deserve some self-compassion. It's not that you can't tell what you feel, it's that the obsessions are so strong that your real feelings don't stand a chance. And the less you feel what you want, the more it seems like that's evidence of your worst fear. It's a really messed up cycle this condition puts us in! Emotions naturally ebb and flow anyway, and the ebb part is not adequate evidence of anything. The key that ERP helps you achieve is to get to the point where you are comfortable with not needing to be certain. When you can do that, your true feelings will be able to breathe and find room to express themselves again.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you so much for saying "the obsessions are so strong the real feelings don't stand a chance"... That really resonates. The ERP I've done in the past had been focused on my perfectionism, eating behaviors and organization, with a fair amount of efficacy so I know it works. It's almost like the OCD has nowhere else to go but to my relationship. š«
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
I have often felt that very same thing, that OCD is most at home feeding on my greatest fears. I guess this is a means to overcoming those fears.
- Date posted
- 4y
It's flaring up again, and I found myself Googling "real doubt vs. relationship OCD"... It's not helping. The first few times I read these articles (some from NOCD) I felt relief, and now I can't achieve that. Would we call this compulsing? I'm so confused about how I feel I can't tell what's real and what's what.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
Hi everyone, Iām a 30-year-old woman, and Iāve been in a relationship with my boyfriend for 5 years. Iāve always felt emotionally close to him ā heās caring, supportive, and we planned a future together, including having a family. I donāt want to leave him. He means so much to me. But for a while now, Iāve been obsessing over the fact that I donāt feel much sexual attraction to him anymore. Itās not like I never felt anything ā when we first met, there were butterflies, excitement, emotional connection⦠something real. He was never ājust a friendā to me. But the physical side of the relationship feels like itās slowly faded, and Iām panicking about what that means. I keep thinking things like: ā āMaybe I chose the wrong person.ā ā āYou canāt be in love without sexual desire.ā ā āIf I was truly in love, I would still want him.ā ā āWhat if Iāve been lying to myself this whole time?ā Sometimes my body reacts ā I can feel physical closeness or even arousal ā but my mind shuts down and says: āno, this isnāt right.ā Other times, I feel tension, resistance, or even disgust during intimacy, and I canāt tell if thatās anxiety or if something is fundamentally wrong. What makes this even more confusing is that I truly believe that real love includes sexual attraction. For me, itās all part of one feeling ā not separate. So if the attraction is gone, does that mean the love is too? Is it possible that this is still OCD ā that my mind is obsessing and disconnecting me from my real feelings? Has anyone experienced something similar? Any support would mean so much. I feel so stuck between my mind and my heart.
- Date posted
- 24w
Iām struggling with something Iām afraid to even admit out loud. Iāve been in a long-term relationship with someone I love deeply. Heās kind, safe, and emotionally close to me ā and weāve built a life together. But I keep obsessing over the fact that I donāt feel much sexual attraction anymore. Or maybe⦠I never truly did? At the beginning, I felt butterflies, excitement, connection ā and I assumed that meant I was also attracted to him physically. But now, after reading so much and reflecting more deeply, Iām starting to wonder if I ever truly felt sexual desire in the way I was āsupposed to.ā Maybe my feelings were more about emotional longing, comfort, and romantic closeness ā but not sexual chemistry. And now I donāt know what that means. OCD makes it so much worse. It constantly tells me: ā āIf you really loved him, youād want him.ā ā āYouāre leading him on.ā ā āWhat if youāre lying to yourself?ā ā āIf you try to fix this and fail, youāll have to leave.ā I feel stuck between wanting to fight for this relationship ā and being terrified that trying will just prove itās 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
- 18w
Lately my ROCD has been flaring up, making it difficult to even be around my partner. Iām having so many troubling thoughts with the one that bugs me most being, āmaybe this isnāt my OCD, maybe Iām just in a bad relationship and Iām trying to cover it up and blame it on OCDā. This thought really scares me because there are valid doubts in my relationship but my boyfriend and I have openly talked about them and are trying to work through. My OCD wonāt take that as an option tho. It makes me feel like I need to be 100% certain that these things can NEVER happen again or else we need to break up immediately. So anything he says in that moment about trying to do better, my OCD will not trust anything he says and just wait until the next ābad thingā happens. When I continuously bring these things up to my boyfriend even tho nothing has happened between these conversations, it exhausts him making it feel like he can never do enough. I feel so bad because I know itās just my OCD getting in the way. But then that thought creeps in saying I canāt trust him because I need to protect myself. Itās just an ongoing cycle that is so tiring. I donāt even know what I want anymore. We are very opposite when it comes to emotions. I am very in tune and very emotionally intelligent, and he is not. He is the opposite. I do recognize that my anxious attachment style may be hard for him too but I canāt stop thinking about all of his flaws and all of the things he needs to do to make our relationship better. It makes me feel like Iām the only one putting in effort when in reality that is not true. But my OCD does make me feel like he doesnāt really love me or want to be with me and that he feels forced to be with me or do things for me. It makes me feel like him being with me is like a chore. Can anyone relate? My OCD just makes me feel like I canāt trust anything he says to make our relationship better.
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