- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
If your therapist is an OCD specialist, they’ll understand and they’ll treat it like any other theme! They won’t judge you. Someone who’s not knowledgeable about OCD might ask you to analyze the thoughts, making OCD worse. If you’re extremely anxious about bringing this up, you can start by making it a broad hypothetical. “How do you help people with taboo themes? Even though I know I’m not a bad person, my thoughts make me worry that I am one or that other people will think I’m bad.” A good therapist will help you understand their process. They’ll understand how difficult it is to share about your obsessions, and they’ll work to help you feel more comfortable sharing.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you for your advice on this. I think I'll ask the question about how my therapist treats taboo thoughts.
- Date posted
- 4y
I was super worried about this. One of my major themes is Harm OCD. I just laid it all out there and watched my therapist's expression. It didn't even change. If you have a counselor who understands OCD, they have heard it all before. OCD is not your fault. No need to be embarrassed or a shape. If you aren't honest, they can't help you.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thanks. I'll try to lay it all out there. I think I'm afraid if I say that I'm anxious around BIPOC because I constantly worry about how I'm coming across, that my therapist will think I'm trash. I'll try to get over this fear and just tell them.
- Date posted
- 4y
@canigetawitness If they are familiar with OCD, they won't.
- Date posted
- 4y
Sorry, should be ashamed, not a shape. Stupid autocorrect
- Date posted
- 4y
I struggle with the same thing, though it isn’t my main theme. An OCD therapist will completely understand you.
- Date posted
- 4y
I was extremely nervous walking into my first therapy session with a BIPOC therapist...I was deeply afraid of offending her. I made up my mind that I would focus on my other distressing thoughts and I wouldn't say anything about the racial ones. That plan fell apart because I felt so comfortable around her...and she was so non-judgemental...that I melted and explained everything during the first session. She treated my thoughts like they were the least upsetting thing in the world and I felt extremely safe around her. I know it feels frightening, but the reality is that your therapist has heard it all. Very little is going to shock them. They're here to help you, and they won't judge you for having a disorder and struggling with distressing or confusing thoughts.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 17w
I wanna start out by saying, I am really proud of how far I've come in recognizing my OCD tendencies and learned about how it can show up intersectionally for BIPOC folks who have racialized trauma and how me, being a White person, how it manifests itself for me. I'd also like to say, this is gonna be more of an analytical and reflective post. Please feel free to read and respond with any critiques or thoughts you have. I'm embarrassed about it nowadays, but it's important to acknowledge because it was a HUGE part of my teenage personality, unfortunately. I used to be a HUGE Shane Dawson fan 😭 like, his content was my strongest hyperfixation to date. So at this point in time, I feel like I'm still trying to decipher what kind of racial commentary and satire and jokes are genuinely funny and which are just perpetuating stereotypes and straight up minstrelsy. Shout out to D'Angelo Wallace for making the video essay that woke me up to seeing this issue more clearly. I try to be aware of how I can easily fall into just laughing at racial stereotypes without being aware of the serious consequences it has for BIPOC people, but at the same time, I don't want to be too worried about everything being racist and therefore that means it's bad and should be banned, cause that's also not always helpful, I've noticed. So racialized fear and polarization is something I'm deconstructing. I hate to admit this, too, 'cause it's embarrassing, but my OCD seems to latch onto racial issues. I end up obsessing about whether or not I'm causing marginalized people harm or not, particularly when it comes to racism. I believe this is because I know I was one of those White kids who was into "edgy" humor when I was a teen. I think it's just lingering guilt from knowing that was wrong, but OCD makes my guilt and rumination and therefore compulsions to "fix" it so much worse than most people. It's frustrating, but I have come a very long way in confronting and dealing with it. I'm very proud of myself for being aware that that's an issue I have. I've got to give credit where credit is due, to my biracial friend (who also happens to have OCD) for essentially helping me learn this, albeit the hard way with many arguments about racism and trauma. It's something that isn't talked about much, but we're learning to build bridges in our understanding of how mental health affects us as people with different forms of racialized trauma. Mine's not so much trauma, but social stigma, whereas his was from actual bullying and harassment and physical assault, simply because of his race. I've also learned how to recognize and deal with my own mental health issues WHILE confronting race because of Black advocates like Tony Nabors who does Racial Equity Insights, F.D. Signifier who does really great intersectional analyses on social issues pertaining to Black people, and D'Angelo Wallace for being the first Black YouTuber that made the problem with Shane Dawson video that finally helped me break out of my lowkey toxic parasocial/trauma bond relationship I had with him, lol. Does this post seem too wordy and analytical for this forum? Let me know if this isn't the right audience for this type of writing and reflection. I just wanted to talk about it because it's something I had to figure out largely on my own. Wondering if anyone else relates to this or can see themselves in this.
- Date posted
- 15w
I’m on track to getting my diagnosis and i’m already questioning it. Pocd feels so real, and even though i once saw someone say “it has to feel real or you wouldn’t worry” which is like god level reassurance honestly, it hurts. I can’t look at children, they deserve better. My usual attraction seems to be gone and i can not think about anything else. At the same time i don’t really feel anxiety. I’m scared i don’t feel bad enough, if i just smiled maybe i honestly wouldn’t feel bad? I don’t have many other ocd symptoms either, except for some stuff when i was a kid and like questioning everything about myself. I’m clinging to the hope that this is Pocd instead of me being a Monster and at the same time i’m so sad that i have to go trough this. I don’t like myself but i’m sorry for my younger self. I just want to be held and be told that everything will be okay but how can i know? Even then i feel like comfort of that kind only really applies to others who are struggling and aren’t horrible like me. In so many ways i sm convinced i am a monster even though it might be a bit irrational. Maybe i’m a monster after all and then i should really get away from everyone i love. They deserve better :( After a lifetime of struggles (nothing super serious) i’m just getting started with therapy and i’m so.. scared. What if it won’t help? What if it turns out i’m the bad person i fear to be. Is there any way i can prepare or some tips or literally anything else? I would appreciate any wise words
- Date posted
- 14w
i need some kind words or maybe some advice? basically i went through trauma as a kid including sexual, and acted out in disturbing ways. I’ve done things i regret. even as an early teenager i did also. the only weird things ive done recently were compulsions and weird ocd driven stuff… but besides that ive found it easy to forgive myself for a lot of stuff because i know myself and my intentions and also talking to people helps. but one thing that’s hard is when im intimate with others or in a relationship. i feel so gross and undeserving like if they knew everything ive done in my life they would hate me. I don’t tell everyone everything, i think i only did that with therapists and like one family member. I feel like if I don’t tell someone everything I’ve done that I regret and see if they forgive me for it, then that means im “hiding” something about me and being malicious. anything helps :(
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