- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I just want to say this is completely normal, you say ‘I think this is truly denial, no one else has thoughts of it being nice and actually enjoyable’ - that’s not strictly true, at all. The crutch of a lot of obsessions, PARTICULARLY ones that are sexual in nature, is that OCD evokes sensations of ‘enjoyment’ (such as physical arousal), which is the reason people become so absorbed with the obsession - it FEELS REAL! I don’t want to reassure, but, you are not bi. Look, if I had no understanding or OCD, and took what you said at face value (I.e that you have these sexual thoughts that create a feeling of ‘enjoyment’ (arousal) & ‘curiousity’ about the same sex, while also feeling a disconnection from your partner - ignoring all of the OCD stuff; you’re right, I would think you’re bi. But the fact that you have OCD turns that on it’s HEAD, completely. It’s the same for someone has harm obsessions for example, if I was a layman (no understanding or OCD), and I heard that some woman was constantly thinking about stabbing her child, I’d think she was seriously disturbed - but again, I’m sure you’d agree that having OCD turns that presumption on its head. The reason I’m saying this is that, as someone with OCD, you’re looking at your own situation - despite prior knowledge of OCD - as though you’re just a non-OCD individual experiencing those thoughts. The division is QUITE bold.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thank you for this I truly needed it, especially the last paragraph, it’s true I’m treating all of this like it’s not ocd and treating the thoughts like reality is hurting me a lot.
- Date posted
- 4y
I can relate to this
- Date posted
- 4y
Hang in there
- Date posted
- 4y
I am scared can’t stop thinking of these thoughts it feels real at first when this started I didn’t get feelings and emotions.. getting this nagging thoughts sayinv try it you don’t know unless you try it is horrible it is wrecking my life please help !
- Date posted
- 4y
I totally understand what you’re feeling, you’re not alone
- Date posted
- 4y
Thanks for sharing your current experience. I would say that you should be very proud of yourself for 1st noticing the anxiety, distress, and discomfort and letting those feelings of anxiety, fear, etc. be there.This is a perfect time to as I like to say "practice" ERP. Practice not analyzing any of those points you mentioned and place your attention on this present moment. Feel your feet on the ground, take a deep breathe, go for a walk, read, go hangout with a close companion, or play a sport. Not avoiding the discomfort, but choosing to do things you want to do and not give any attention to dwelling on that.The most important part being the response prevention. Not easy, but part of the work. When this type of situation occurs and we are in environments in which we are organically exposed to distress, use this as an opportunity to practice doing the work! This allows for two things; showing yourself you can handle and tolerate it, and also letting your body know that although you feel uncomfortable you are willing to keep doing whatever it is you are doing and getting on with your day! This is the foundation!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
I am very depressed right now. I really feel like maybe I’ve always been a lesbian and never knew. I never questioned my sexuality when I was young, never wanted to explore, I just was straight and didn’t think anything about it, that’s just what it was. I had my first soocd spiral in late high school but didn’t have a name for it, just that I was having intrusive thoughts and it was killing me that maybe I was gay. I can’t exactly remember how I got out of that but I continued to have crushes, talking stages, and dated. It went away and that was that I guess. Looking back now I definitely was still avoiding content and certain people, and still had intrusive thoughts but didn’t think I was gay. I guess they were less sticky. Something about me is that I’ve never had a boyfriend and I’m a virgin. I’m very shy and romanticize things like I love the relationships and scenarios I read about or that I see in movies or the thirst traps online haha. So I want that irl but am disappointed when that doesn’t happen. I have a very interactive daydream (started when I was 13 and still continued that fantasy world now too) with a boyfriend, friends, and a prettier version of me. I enjoyed making up scenarios about sex or romance in those daydreams and fantasies, but when it came to real life, I would get shy or scared when things were starting to get serious with men. I thought maybe this was an avoidant attachment style but now I’m not sure. I never considered female fantasies and I still don’t want to right now. I want to test and see which one I like better, but I’m afraid I’ll find that I’m a lesbian and I really don’t want that. Ive always imagined myself with a man but now I’m worried about comphet. I’m really depressed and I can’t tell because yes, I find some women attractive whether it’s their makeup, face, body, aesthetic, but I never thought that meant I was attracted to them in a sexual or romantic way until this spiral. Now I’m afraid of masc lesbians and pretty women because it triggers me. But I’m also afraid because I feel like I can look at attractive men, but I don’t feel the same way anymore. I can’t even daydream about them bc then my brain inserts a woman. I’m really scared that I’ve lost myself, because I truly feel like I have, but I don’t want to explore with women, I just want to like men, I’ve always liked that idea. But so many lesbians talk about liking celebrities, fantasy men, or just attractive men. Sorry for the rant but I’m struggling a lot right now. I feel like all my memories, even the ones that directly contradict being a lesbian, can be explained away by comphet, internal homophobia, denial, suppression, etc. When I do try and accept uncertainty, sometimes it feels ok, but then something will trigger me and I’m back at square one. I’m afraid if I take my meds I’ll discover something about myself that I don’t want to because I’ve always been depressed and avoidant of life because it never lives up to my expectations. My sexuality is on my mind 24/7! I can’t take it!
- Date posted
- 22w
Hi everyone, I’ve been really anxious lately, and I just need to get this out of my head. Someone recently told me that maybe I’m bisexual — that I might be more sexually attracted to women, but more romantically attracted to men. That bisexuality is not 50/50. And ever since I heard that, I’ve been spiraling. The thing is: I don’t want this to be true. It scares me. I don’t feel romantic attraction to women, I’ve never wanted to be in a relationship with one. But yes, I get aroused by fantasies involving women — and that makes me feel broken or like I’ve been lying to myself. I love my boyfriend deeply, I don’t want to lose him. I want to feel fully connected to him, physically and emotionally. But now I’m stuck in this obsessive loop of questioning: “What if I’m just in denial?” “What if I’m not really straight?” “What if this is why my libido is low?” It’s exhausting, and I don’t know if this is OCD, anxiety, or if something is fundamentally wrong. Has anyone else felt this split — romantic feelings for one gender, sexual feelings for another? I feel so alone and scared. Thanks for listening.
- Date posted
- 5w
So one of my close friends just got engaged and her fiance broke up with her two months later. She’s devasted and i’ve been seeing her and being there for her. The issue is wheb this type of stuff usually happens you sometimes imagine it happening to you. So when I tried that i didnt feel anything! And so I tried imagining a women leaving me and it hurt like hell. This thought has been consuming me since forever. I know that im someone who’s very emotional so why cant i « get hurt » or feel « hurt » when my fiance does something?! Also i have been struggling with the romantic vs platonic feelings, the aesthetic vs sexual attraction and I unfortunately looked it up on tiktok and it was a huuuge trigger! Specially from lgbtq people saying what they thought was sexual attraction towards boys was just aesthetic. So i then asked chatgpt what he thought of that and yeah it triggered me even more. Tbh when I look at my fiance i find him really good looking, hot and when we get into it its really good like i enjoy sleeping with him (I think? Or soocd talking idk). However when i see him naked I dont have a physical reaction to him if you know what i mean. However and idk why, when i see a naked women I do feel like i have a physical reaction?!!! When i talked to my therapist about it she told me that sexual orientation is complex and we’re all somewhere on the spectrum. I dont mind being on the spectrum but what im scared of is lying about my attraction and love to my fiance just to fit into society and playing a « role ». We’ve been together for 8 years it cant be possible to fake something for that long is it? What im also scared of is for example accepting that my sexuality might be somewhere on the spectrum but once i accept that realising that i was just performative with men and it was all fake… Am i alone in this? Do other people relate to this story?
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond