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Does anyone identify as bisexual and experience Sexual Orientation OCD? When I was younger, I genuinely thought I was straight, and being attracted to non-men (I say that to include people who fall outside of the gender binary) was such a taboo that I would get intrusive thoughts about it. However, as I got older, I realized there was nothing wrong with being attracted to non-men, so the anxiety decreased, and my curiosity increased. I decided to explore my sexuality about a year and a half ago, but the moment I started to explore, I began experiencing doubt that I was feeling anything at all towards non-men, and constantly felt like I had to prove those feelings to myself. I did end up meeting someone (they use she/they pronouns for context), fell in love with them pretty quickly, and was in a relationship with them up until recently, but I was riddled with doubt the entire time. My SO-OCD and Relationship OCD unfortunately played a significant role in the breakup, as my ex-partner constantly felt like she had to prove that she was worth being with, and I constantly felt like I had to prove my feelings to myself. It was exhausting for us both. Human sexuality is naturally a very ambiguous thing, and can be confusing even for someone without OCD, so for someone WITH OCD, that uncertainty can be intolerable. Then once the doubt sets in, it’s impossible to feel much of anything, and it’s hard to make any progress with self-exploration. It’s felt impossible to explore and understand my sexuality in a healthy way, and it felt impossible to be present with my partner. Deep down I know that I am so in love with her. They are my person, I have genuinely never felt this way about anyone. I want nothing more than to be with her again, but I want to get a handle on my SO-OCD and ROCD (amongst other things unrelated to OCD, of course) before I entertain that. If anyone has experienced anything similar to this, I would really appreciate hearing from you. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you’re having a peaceful evening❤️

I wish there were more people active on here. Wait actually I mean I don’t because that’s more people with this awful disorder but I just mean posting can be so lonely and not a huge community

I've noticed people on this site who seem to be able to handle ERP and I find it utterly terrifying. Am I alone in that? I'm feeling pretty inadequate.

Has anyone else OCD toward morality? I have an obsession with being morally right, doing the right thing, being a good person etc I have a notebook with a list about my morals -things that are morally wrong/right -words to avoid because they are wrong -things to do to do the right thing -moral missions how to change the world ... I check at the end of the day if I was morally right and write it down and hate myself if I failed I am hypercritical of myself and also about others When for example and artist does something that’s against my morals(and even if it is only on slur in a song) I delete all their songs, unfollow them, don’t listen to the music again I am very isolated because almost no one can be always morally right ;me neither but I can’t stop this. Is this even OCD or am I narcissistic or something like that. Or am I maybe a narcissist with OCD. I come from a narcissistic family system so I am scared that maybe I turn into one without noticing.

Sometimes I wonder if ocd has been studied enough. Like how do they know these subtypes?? Are they masks for actually wanting whatever it is and then experiencing guilt? Did professionals make up soocd to get people to fear their sexuality/thoughts? And then the people will cover it up with ocd when it's actually denial ????? I know these are intrusive/doubting thoughts but I felt like sharing in case any of u relate

I wrote out what Erp means And how i apply IT right now. Its scary , weird , hard . But so is ocd. Can u ppl let me know what u think about this and tell me what u would change or other tips. So i have a good view to go for it. When it comes to OCD, the more you resist, argue, fight, and disagree with your OCD thoughts, the worse they are going to get. Every time you tell yourself "they aren't real" or "they aren't true", you're essentially fueling OCD's fire (it's just like the saying "the harder you try not to think of a pink elephant, the more you'll think of a pink elephant"). Why? Because that reaction sends a message to your brain that these thoughts are an actual legitimate threat and need to be fought at all costs. So in a way to protect itself, every time you have OCD thoughts, your brain will set off it's "fight or flight mode" as a defense mechanism, thus skyrocketing your anxiety (because in real-life danger, anxiety can save your life). This in turn gives OCD all of its power and influence it has in your life and in your mind. So...running/ignoring/avoiding/and ARGUING with your OCD thoughts is literally like adding fuel to a fire, and the more you run, the more and more powerful your OCD will become (but don't freak out because there IS a way to reverse this). With that said, the only effective way to truly defeat OCD and grab it from its roots is by applying ERP. How do you do ERP? Whenever you have an OCD thought OR feeling you need to INVITE it in your mind, ACCEPT it and EMBRACE it. Never argue with your OCD thoughts but AGREE with every single one of them. Not only that, but you need to purposely think your obsessive thoughts with absolute intensity. When you first start doing this it is extremely scary and very stressful, because you are going against what you've taught your brain to do for for however long now. But what you're doing when you apply ERP into your life is you are quite literally rewiring your brain and completely draining all of the power and leverage OCD has over you (just like a bully, once you show your OCD you're not afraid of it, it no longer has power over you). Over time, your brain will build a "tolerance" to these thoughts, to the point they will soon hold absolutely zero power within your mind...your brain will look at them as completely harmless and irrational, just as if it were an ordinary thought. .so for example, whenever i get an OCD thought that says something like "you don't love your girl anymore" i have to respond by saying "That is absolutely true!! I have zero love for her at all!" Or whenever you get an ocd thought that says you like men, don't deny it or disagree with it. Don't fight it. Respond by saying "damn right I do and I am proud of if it! I can't wait to ditch my girl for a guy!" That is how you do ERP. Embrace the OCD thoughts. Agree with them and stop fighting them. That is what makes it worse So in curious what u ppl think about this. IT sounds really crazy i know. But to beat this Bully u need the face it Whit yes the indont Care anymore , i like those thoughts mindsett Let me know !

Hi, everyone! I was recently diagnosed with ocd but it has been an ongoing problem since being with a porn addict in the past. Now my obsessions are focused around my relationship and my partner watching porn and or betraying me. My ocd is controlling my life and I am so excited to begin this journey through therapy. I was just wondering if anyone here can relate to this specific problem. It would really help to get some pointers on how to cope. Pic for attention

TW**** How am I supposed to accept im gay now after after these thoughts crippled me with anxiety everyday for a year plus, making me feel ßuicidal and pretty much ruining my life, causing all sorts of trauma. If these thoughts came true then Im probably also not a guy inside bc thats how it feels like, too real to be ocd. Shouldve ended myself last year, too late now, I dont know what Im going to do

Anyone have HIT AND RUN OCD? If so any pointers to help me?

just got an intrusive thought to swallow all the pills in my house after my mom left for work and i'm trying to just sit with the thoughts. I wanna cry though.

Religious themed friends: in using ERP, how do you mentally develop exposures for the thought: God has rejected you and you are going to hell?

Has anyone dealt with a major loss before? Or trauma related to death? I'm a senior in college and I just lost my Grandma a few months ago. It was the first loss I've ever experienced and it came so suddenly. I wasn't able to say goodbye to her either. 2 days after her death I had to go back to school and I just wasn't ready, I was very close with her. Thankfully my friends and teachers are being patient. I was starting to feel better emotionally when this past sunday I watched a freshman die. I was cashier at the school's cafeteria when he fell right outside the window. He was groggy, hardly awake, and could barely move. A police officer came to help and called 911. An ambulance came and checked his pulse and immediately took him inside the ambulance. A few moments later a firetruck came and brought out a Lucas (automatic CPR machine). I didn't know what it was at the time and thought the kid was still alive. Eventually they all left for the hospital. I kept telling students that I'm sure he was okay, and tried to calm down a bunch of people. I had to work after seeing all that. The next day in class my friend got an email that a student died and I knew it was him. I started bawling and left to call my Mom. She talked me through everything and calmed me down. Now I keep thinking about that kid thinking about when he died and if he was still alive when the ambulance got there. Then I see his probably lifeless body being dragged onto the gurnee. This kid who was maybe 17-18 in an unfamiliar place with his family 1,000 miles away. I just hate thinking about it but my OCD is hyper fixated on it. I'm stressed out from school and can't process all of the loss I've experienced. I can't afford therapy right now and am on a waitlist for a free, volunteer based therapy group. Has anyone been through something similar or has any advice??

Ok so I really need help I’m freaking out So I’ve heard a friend of mine say “that kid is hot” or something like that. She even said that Chucky the doll was hot but I don’t know if chucky is a kid or not but anyways I’ve heard my other friend say someone was cute and they looked like a minor. I saw a picture of a girl that passed from the Travis Scott concert that was 16 and before I knew her age because she didn’t look younger at all I had an intrusive thought that she was “hot” but was like no she’s just really pretty and now I’m freaking out because what if I’m a monster now? I don’t want anything to do with a minor ever! I don’t understand. Because people say things like my friend said and it doesn’t bother them but when my mind says things it freaks me the heck out. Is it normal to think or say those things? I’m lost. I think it’s wrong and I feel real icky and horrible about it.

Hi all, I'm new here and I guess self diagnosed or unsure of if I have HOCD. So I'd just like to get my story out there and just see if it's relatable at all or if I'm just denying my feelings, if anyone can respond..(sorry for a long one) It's been causing me a lot of stress lately and it can't shake the constant loop of thoughts like "Am I a lesbian", "you're not boy crazy so you must not be attracted to men", " you fit these stereotypes so that must mean you are". It all started when I was young like 13/14 when I had watched lesbian porn online accidentally at first and then I had watched a few more because it was the first time I had watched porn at all, let alone same sex porn. So I guess I was curious at the time and like you read "sexual things can cause a sexual response". So I was fine with what I watched but then like a few years later it was like, you watched that video and had a sexual response that must mean you liked it and want to be in that type of relationship. And that really stuck in my head. I began thinking about how I've never had a boyfriend and never felt like my friends when they would be drooling over boys, but I just assumed that having a boyfriends was something I'd get when I was older and like ready. Like I did have crushes, but also had low self esteem and just assumed that no guy would ever like me. Additionally I don't think I've ever looked at another girl and felt attracted to them or the need to be with them. But then reading things online caused me to doubt that. Anyways the thoughts come and go and sometimes I'm able to tune them out for months or years, but recently I have been really stressed about them. I currently have a boyfriend and I enjoy spending time and being with him. But these thoughts have been causing a lot of anxiety with respect to my relationship because then I think am I just dating him to his my feelings,I'm just stringing him along and using him. But I know that I don't want to break up. I find that I am searching stuff online a lot to try and find an answer, and then reading all those things makes me compare myself. Like the stereotypes and things I put to myself like oh I like playing sports that's a masculine thing, and how I dress and I don't find myself pretty or dainty so that must mean I'm not girly. It's a thought overload and making me so anxious because I feel like I don't know myself anymore and that I fear I've been lying to everyone if I figure out that I'm not straight. and like even if I thought I was bisexual that would be okay because that doesn't completely eliminate dating men, and I could still only date men. But being completely on the other end of the spectrum would feel like I'd have to completely shift my thoughts to fit and make these looped thoughts go away. I guess all I want to know is if this is normal or if it's ocd at all, am I just lying to myself or trying to hide my true self because I'm afraid of the consequence?? And I know that reassurance seeking which I shouldn't do hahah but this is my first time seeking ocd help and I may not get a therapist soon because of where I live.

What i really want to know is how to use ERP in the lost of attraction to woman thoughts and feelings. Like thoughts i have never been attracted to woman IT was all a lie. The feelings of feeling repulsed to the womans body , IT doesn't arrouse me anymore. I lost IT when hocd started. And the part i cant Push into is this. I agree with all the attraction to men. I agree with the feelings of arrousel to men the feelings of feeling gay, the feelings of wanting sex with men. But the other part is harder. And i dont know to do Erp for that. And that is the part i lost my attraction to woman, i want to recover im so ready to do what i need to. I Just only need someone who can tell my how to the Erp for those thoughts ; - feel no attraction to woman means im gay - feeling like i dont like straight sex anymore - feelings like woman vigina is repulsing me now( very hard one cause i liked it much before this) - feelings like i never get my love back for woman - specially the rocd thoughts i should leave my girlfriend cause im in denail etc - when i see a men and woman i feel only attraction to men and i go check Them Both - feeling like my sexuality changed over time. - i have backdoorspikes cause i feel no anxiety and feel like i like and want the thoughts

The thing that keeps me stuck is that my mind ist telling me i‘ll never be 100% happy and the thing that needs to be fixed is me transitioning. Yesterday i saw a tik tok with the sound „just know that if you hide, it doesnt go away“ and it showed a girly girl who became a man and just kept beeing a girl the whole time because of society. I‘m scared that this is me and that i‘am in big denial. I never in my life felt like this. But when i look at guys i sometimes had the thought: „if i was a guy i would dress like that too!“. I also liked dressing as a guy sometimes because i felt „cooler“ and more „safe“ and comfortable. But i‘ve never thought i will question my gender because i seemed perfectly fine beeing a girl in the past. I liked Dressing feminine also to appeal to the other gender but i liked it that way in the past:( Now i overthink everything..

i wanna fucking scream and cry over my intrusive thoughts. it's incredibly disturbing and won't stop. i can't stop it. i can't not perform a compulsion(every though it only makes them worse, and i can't ignore it. i hate this. i hate myself. i just want to go to sleep without thinking about this please. i feel so sick and ashamed of myself. i'm genuinely so scared i'm gonna hurt someone. idk what to do anymore. i just want help.

Anyone else stuck feeling depersonalization almost all the time? When my anxiety/ocd got bad it’s like it hit me and won’t go away. I’ve developed the fear of losing my mind because of the way it makes you feel. I’m stuck and don’t know how to deal with this.

It feels as if my new theme is making me scared of being home alone... like it petrifies me, I think i'm suffering from suicidal OCD and i can't look at the pill bottles we have without feeling anxious, the bleach bottle, anything... this theme is worse than HOCD which I suffered with in the past, because at least then I could deal with being home alone as long as I distract myself, with this it feels like there's no distraction. I recently restarted my zoloft and that's when i started feeling like this and i don't know if it's from the zoloft OR just a trigger response because i know the side effects can be suicidal thoughts, i hate the idea of death. Death scares me so much, I will avoid certain situations if I feel like there's a chance I will die. I will avoid certain foods, my mom has to check my medicine incase I take the wrong one. EX : I have a headache so I take tylenol, ill look at the bottle and it will say tylenol but for some reason my brain still thinks it's the wrong bottle. This theme is hurting me so much. I want to cry, my mom doesn't think it's my OCD which hurts even worse. I don't know what to do.

I’m so confused. People talk about if your thoughts bring you peace then they must be true. But as I’ve has HOCD so long they cause me less anxiety. The only time I feel slightly more at ease is when I can tell myself they aren’t true. But that’s so tiring these days. Last night for example I just felt like I had completely given up fighting, I felt so depressed that the thoughts could be true but I couldn’t be bothered to reason with them. Does that mean they are true? Sorry for this messy message I’m just very confused.