What is homosexual OCD?

People who have homosexual OCD have thoughts and obsessions about the

possibility of being homosexual, when in reality they are not. There is no

repressed homosexuality.

Homosexual OCD is a fear that usually arises very suddenly, usually between the

ages of 20-25. The thoughts and images terrify people who suffer from it and lead

them to avoid a wide range of situations.

People who suffer from it question everything they do, think or feel and wonder if

what they do could be gay or could be valued as “gay” by others. They also check if

they are gay by looking at images or videos of people of the same sex to see if

they get aroused. Likewise, they often monitor their genitals to see if they feel any

sensations when they are in contact with people of the same sex.

In addition, there are many people who imagine intrusive scenes of themselves in

which they are in a relationship or sexual relations with someone of the same sex.

It is important to know that most people who suffer from homosexual OCD are

not homophobic. They may even rationally think that they would not mind being

homosexual if it would free them from this suffering. The thought or obsession

does not come from repressed homosexuality, but from a very high internal

anxiety, which, when not attended to, finds no other way to manifest itself than in

the form of obsessions.

How does homosexual OCD affect

the lives of people who suffer from
it?
They may stop seeing their same-sex friends for fear that seeing them, talking to

them, or hugging them will cause sexual arousal. For the same reason they may
stop playing sports or going to the gym. It can also cause problems for them to

have contact with authority figures of the same sex, for example at work.

It is also possible that they stop watching certain series or movies for fear of

seeing scenes with homosexual content or of being attracted to the protagonist of

the same sex. People who suffer from homosexual OCD often confuse internal

anxiety and the anxiety generated by constant avoidance with sexual arousal,

which further encourages avoidance behavior.

They may avoid sex for fear that images or thoughts of homosexual content will

come to them. If they have sex, they may focus so much on whether they like it or

not, or whether obsessive thoughts arise or not, that anxiety increases and the

ability to enjoy disappears. This raises even more doubts about whether they are

gay or not.

“If I am not able to enjoy sex with people of the opposite sex, could it mean that I

would prefer to be with a person of the same sex right now?”

There are many people who suffer from homosexual OCD who are afraid of

ruining their relationship or of cheating on them. They think that if they have

obsessions with homosexual content they will also be able to one day pack their

bags and go live with someone of the same sex. This causes them a lot of distress

over the future suffering they could hypothetically cause their partner.

What causes homosexual OCD?

It is important to know that the content of OCD obsessions can never be

translated literally. For this reason, it is important to repeat that people who suffer
from homosexual OCD do not have repressed homosexuality and what we can

affirm categorically: they are not homosexuals. Homosexual OCD is caused by

very high internal anxiety. What is causing the anxiety is that the person has

usually repressed part of their personality.

Most people who have homosexual OCD are not living in a way that is congruent

with their nature. People who suffer from homosexual OCD tend to be people

with high sensitivity, creativity and/or assertiveness that due to circumstances or

fear they have not expressed. Carl Gustav Jung called that sensitivity the soul of

the person. Jung said that everyone has an anima (female part of the psyche) and

an animus (male part of the psyche) and that both have to be developed to have a

healthy psyche.

What can happen so that a person does not develop the Anima? It may be that the

person grew up in an environment in which showing sensitivity was frowned upon

or simply not expressed. It is also possible that the person was afraid of what

people would think of him/her if he/she had shown his/her more feminine,

sensitive or creative side.

On the other hand, people who suffer from homosexual OCD usually have

experienced traumatic experiences in childhood, youth or adolescence or have

experienced prolonged periods of stress. In adulthood they usually suffer

repression in some area of their life, such as work (a boss who treats them badly,

or who does not respect the person's limits), intrusive family, or a relationship in

which they are annulled as people. They also tend to be distant from the things

they are truly passionate about or not even know what they might be passionate

about.

How is homosexual OCD treated?

To cure OCD, the person has to be brought back to life. It has to be freed so that it

can stop living in the mind. How do you do this? Well, helping you recover your

instinct and unblocking the nervous system. In the case of homosexual OCD, the

development of the anima, the feminine part of the psyche, is also very important,

helping the person to express this part that has been so repressed over time. It is

a work of gradual liberation that ends in the possibility of expressing oneself with

total freedom and consequently the complete disappearance of obsessive

symptoms.

If you want to read more about the AFOP treatment we use to cure homosexual

OCD, click on the following link:

sexual tochomo

What's going on?

Sexually oriented OCD, sometimes called Homosexual OCD (HOCD), is a subtype of OCD where
sufferers constantly question their sexuality. It is estimated that 10% of people with OCD suffer
from this specific subtype. A Homosexual OCD patient can become obsessed with being
homosexual, straight, and anything else. They engage in a great deal of introspection to determine
their sexuality or sexual orientation. Constantly questioning it can be alarming, confusing, and very
anxiety-producing.

Common Obsessions of Sexually Orientated OCD:

Fear that you are gay when in reality you are straight or vice versa.

Constantly questioning your sexuality.

Fear of sending signals that make you appear gay or straight, depending on your sexual
preference.

Common Compulsions of Sexually Orientated OCD:

Evasion

You stop going out on dates, attending events, or going out in social settings.

Confirm
Look at someone or see a photo of a person of the same gender and determine if you have a
sexual or emotional response.

Question

Being confused when you see a person of the same sex and thinking that they are attractive.

Comfort

View photos of the opposite sex to confirm that your sexual desires align with what you know to
be true.

Misconceptions about Homosexual OCD:

There is only one type of OCD, in general. Subtypes like Homosexual OCD do not exist.

People who are heterosexual do not think that people of the same sex are attractive.

People who worry obsessively about being gay must be homophobic.

What is homosexual OCD?

Socially accepted norms about how to relate to others have caused some people to develop
various disorders or excessive fears. This is the case of those who are not clear, for example, about
their sexual orientation and who therefore suffer just thinking that they could be homosexual.

This is precisely what is known as homosexual OCD and, although it is not exclusive to
homosexuals, it is in them where most cases are seen. Now, it should be noted that it is an
obsessive-compulsive disorder based on intrusive doubts about being gay or not.
Specifically, those who suffer from this disorder are always faced with the dilemma of whether or
not they are homosexual, but the fact of knowing that they may be homosexual generates great
anxiety, especially if the question has arisen suddenly and recently.

In the same sense, those who have this OCD have most of the time enjoyed good heterosexual
relationships, but just the idea of being attracted to someone of the same sex makes them
develop this kind of irrational fear of actually being gay.

Of course, it is not an impulse aimed at revealing whether they are really homosexual or not, but
rather they insist on wanting to prove and be completely certain that they are not.

Due to this, as a consequence, they begin to perform certain acts that validate them as a
heterosexual person or, on the contrary, that lead them to experience relationships with people of
the same sex but not in a satisfactory way, but always with doubt present. .

But not only this, but sometimes those who suffer from homosexual OCD begin to become
depressed, not perform well in studies or work, etc.

Common behaviors in someone with homosexual OCD

Anyone with this type of obsessive-compulsive disorder generally asks themselves the following
questions:

When you see same-sex couples you wonder if they are unpleasant to you.

When you see people of the same sex you wonder if you find them attractive.

When you see a person of the same sex you wonder if you feel excited by him or her.

You constantly tell yourself that you are not gay.

You begin to neutralize homosexual thoughts with heterosexual thoughts.

To avoid answering whether or not you are gay, you seek to remember past (hetero)sexual
experiences that were good.

You interact with others in a very masculine way (in the case of men) or very feminine way (in the
case of women=, in order to accentuate traits typically of your gender.

Sometimes you wash your hands when you've been in contact with gay people.
You go on repeated dates with heterosexual people so that others do not believe that you are
attracted to people of the same sex.

At other times you avoid being alone with people of the same sex, as well as avoiding physical
contact with those people.

As always, each case may present its own symptoms, because these are individuals; However,
whatever the case, it is important to indicate that the fundamental thing is to seek help.

Also, as in most obsessive-compulsive disorders, treatment will be based on learning to live with
doubts and/or fear. Likewise in having better strategies and tolerance with doubts, discarding
those techniques that seek to eliminate said thoughts. If you suspect that you have this type of
OCD, a psychologist on our portal can help you.

ADDICTION TO PORNOGRAPHY

Pornography addiction.

“Vices come as passengers, visit us as guests and stay as masters.”

Confucius

The term pornography refers to any literary, artistic, or cinematographic material that explicitly
displays genitals and sexual actions, and whose main objective is to sexually arouse the viewer.

Currently, pornography has gained great popularity due to the introduction of new technologies,
and with it the consumption of pornography worldwide. For example, in 2016 a single portal
dedicated to this sector obtained 44,000 thousand visits per minute, that is, 64 million visits per
day or what is the same 4,392,486,580 hours of pornography that year.

How does pleasure work?

When we perform an activity such as tasting a food we like, hearing a compliment from a friend,
or perceiving something that excites us sexually, the brain produces a chemical called dopamine,
which is what makes us feel pleasure. With the release of this neurotransmitter, the brain receives
messages so that we want to repeat the behavior and thus release more dopamine. Situations
such as eating, interacting with other people or reproducing are behaviors that increase our
chances of survival as a species. This is a form of reward, which causes our brain to encourage us
to carry out these activities.

sex addiction

Also if you are interested in knowing about sex addiction, you can read this article

How can pornography become an addiction?

Although in most cases pornography is entertainment, other times it can become a habit that
generates dependency.

Viewing pornography produces an excessive release of dopamine and, therefore, overstimulation

of the brain's reward system. This excess release of dopamine generates a message for us to
repeat the behavior and therefore continue producing it. This generates the constant need to feel
this stimulation or, in other words, an addiction. This process is the same process that causes
addiction to drugs or alcohol. It is one of the so-called “substanceless addictions”.

Continued consumption of pornography ends up altering the functioning of the brain and its
structure, generating more activation in some areas, such as the amygdala, and even modifying
the size of some brain regions. As in all addictions, overstimulation promotes more frequent
consumption, and the “natural” sexual act stops being so pleasurable. The more pornography
consumed, the more the activity of the reward center is reduced and the more dopamine the
brain needs to generate to feel pleasure.

There are many triggers that can cause us to become addicted to pornography. An example may
be anxiety. When we go through a bad time, such as a breakup, job loss, or grieving the loss of a
family member, individuals are more motivated to fill the emotional void they feel and do not
have resources to handle the situation, so they resort to to calm down in some way through this
reward system that we explained previously and therefore to “consume” pornography.

On other occasions, the causes of pornography consumption are more complex and are related to
physical or psychological abuse, abandonment by caregivers, and even having suffered some form
of sexual abuse or violence.
sex addiction Some consequences of pornography addiction.

Pornography consumption affects all members of society, whether children, adolescents or adults,
and has some negative psychological and social effects.

The consumption of pornography in adults is related to family problems: the decrease in sexual
relations within the couple, sexual dissatisfaction and infidelity. Self-esteem can also be affected
by prolonged consumption of pornography, since not having the same sexual attitudes or qualities
as the actors can be a disappointment for the viewer.

We cannot forget that the bodies of the actors and the duration of the act sometimes have special
qualities or are not real. It is important to emphasize that many sexual behaviors exhibited in
pornography often contain sexual violence, distort the sexual act (lacking eroticism) or even
dehumanize individuals. Furthermore, pornography focuses on the genital area and neglects other
erogenous zones, which can create distorted ideas about pleasure in the sexual act, cutting sexual
life from its emotional and affective components.

Pornography addiction treatment.

When watching pornography becomes something that we cannot stop doing, and we postpone
other activities or obligations, making it the main free time activity, it is necessary to ask a
professional for help. This can help you understand the addiction and see how to treat it.

At Cepsim Madrid we often receive people who suffer because they are addicted to pornography.

To treat pornography, professional help is important. In parallel and subsequently, you can begin
to engage in regular physical activity, cultivate a circle of social relationships and have some
control strategies to reduce your impulses.

If you want to know more about addiction treatment you can read this article

How do you know if you are addicted to pornography?

It is possible that if you have an addiction to pornography, one or more of the symptoms described
below are present:

I prefer to watch pornography than have sex with my partner.

Sometimes, I prefer watching pornography to meeting up with my partner or friends.

I have a hard time going a whole day without watching porn.

I have been changing my leisure or recreational activities for the consumption of pornography.

The pornographic content that I look for increasingly has to be more intense.

I watch porn even in places where it can be a problem like work, on a public computer, and the
like.

Porn addiction: symptoms, causes and treatment

Pornography addiction is a real problem, which can generate a series of consequences for those
who suffer from it.

According to statistics, 80% of men consume pornography, and 40% of women are also addicted to
pornography.

In addition, it is also important to know that only one pornography page published that in one year
its visitors consumed 87,849 million videos, which add up to a total of 4,392 million hours of
viewing.

Terapify Online Psychologist

The above data indicates that it is necessary to recognize this problem, and receive guidance on
what to do if you suffer from pornography addiction.

Therefore, we want to recommend that, if you present symptoms of this type of addiction, you
seek the help of a psychologist to correct it.

In fact, you can count on the advice and therapy of an online psychologist, a modality that could
be more comfortable for you.

Below, we present the symptoms that show a pornography addiction problem.

Symptoms of porn addiction

Pornography addiction is a real problem that can cause physical, psychological and emotional
consequences.

For this reason, it is important to identify the symptoms that allow us to know when we go from
simple curiosity or rational use of pornography to an addiction.

Below we will present to you what are those signs or symptoms that you should be alert to:

Inability to stop viewing pornography or engaging in behaviors associated with it

Suffering from strong urges to frequently watch pornography

Anger, hostility, or irritability at restrictions or suggestions related to not viewing pornography

Keeping pornography use a secret, which leads to a double life

Feelings of guilt or shame

Breakdown of relationships due to pornography

Inability to abstain

Job loss due to addiction

When pornography is a priority it is a sign of addiction

Requiring increasing amounts of pornography in order to obtain the same satisfaction

Causes of porn addiction

There are at least three types of causes that lead to pornography addiction, these are:

biological causes

Psychological

Social

As for the biological causes, these have to do with the genetic predisposition to impulsivity, as well
as emotional dysregulation.

Likewise, it must be taken into account that higher levels of hormones such as testosterone or
estrogen can affect libido, which leads to compulsive pornographic viewing.

On the other hand, at a psychological level there may also be causes that generate psychological
addiction, such as adverse events, including early exposure to sexual content.

Other causes may be problems such as personality disorder, depression, anxiety, among others.

Finally, at a social level there can also be causes, such as rejection in social circles or social
isolation.

If you identify that you are exposed to any of these causes, and you also present some of the
symptoms presented above, seek professional help with a psychologist.

How to treat this type of addiction?

Like other addictions, there are various methods and types of treatments with which you can
overcome.

There are certain causes and conditions that require treatment with drugs; in this case, you must
have the strict guidance of a specialist.

Remember, do not resort to self-medication, let a specialist diagnose your situation and suggest
medications if necessary.
On the other hand, a psychologist can help you with psychotherapeutic treatments. There are
several approaches that work, and an expert will know which is most appropriate for each case.

Among the psychotherapy approaches that can be of great help are:

Individual/group therapy

Cognitive-based therapy

Motivational interview

Mindfulness-based therapies

What is porn addiction and how to know if you suffer from it

Teenager addicted to pornography

What is porn addiction and how to know if you suffer from it

Causes and consequences of pornography addiction

Pornography Addiction Treatment

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Updated: October 15, 2019

In recent years, the use of pornography on the Internet has increased significantly. For regular
users, watching porn is entertaining, but for some it becomes a habit that generates dependency
and compulsive behaviors that they do not know how to control. We explain what are the warning
signs of pornography addiction, and what you can do to prevent or eliminate this disorder.
We refer to pornography as audiovisual material that explicitly presents sexual activities and
genitals, the purpose of which is to arouse the viewer. Sexual desire is a basic (primary) need that
is at the service of the survival of the species, since its primary function is to procreate, thus
ensuring the continuity of the species.

Viewing images is a healthy act derived from this need. However, as with other similar
dependencies such as sex addiction, doing it too frequently and interfering with daily life,
especially in the relationship, can turn this normal and desirable behavior into a pathological act.
And this is the big difference between normality and the pathology of many behaviors that are
initially healthy, but due to their form and consequences become pathological (for example,
addiction to food, sex or gambling).

Symptoms of porn addiction: how to know if you suffer from it

The main key to knowing if you suffer from an addiction is not being able to stop carrying out the
addictive behavior despite its consequences. In addition, there are other symptoms that are
associated with this addiction – which usually also accompany other dependencies – and that act
as a cause and consequence of it, such as high levels of anxiety, sadness, irritability, and
impulsivity. These are the signs that can help you know if you are addicted to pornography:

Symptoms of porn addiction

The person addicted to pornography views videos and images on their cell phone, tablet,
computer, television, magazines... without being able to avoid it. Easy access to all types of images
provided by technological advances has become one of the main risk factors for exposure to these
materials.

Girls watching porn with their mobile

Frequently, the addicted person is not aware of the problem and resorts to justifications such as “I
look at the photos because I like it,” “I am sexually active,” “I wouldn't do it if I wanted to,” etc.
Therefore, in this phase of lack of awareness of the problem – which in psychology we call the
“precontemplative stage” – it is really difficult for the individual to go to therapy.

Boy watching porn with his cell phone

Typically, addictive behaviors like this are carried out compulsively, repeated several times a day,
even in inappropriate places or potentially embarrassing situations. Thus, the person addicted to
pornography visualizes it as soon as he sees the possibility, and does not always wait to be alone,
but also does so when he gets bored or is overcome by temptation even if the situation is
inappropriate, such as in a meeting room. waiting, at work, or while watching television with your
partner.

Teenager watching porn with his mobile

Another defining symptom of this addiction is its own consequences. And since the person
addicted to pornography consumes this material even in situations in which it causes or may cause
problems, this leads to interference in the daily life of the patient, who usually loses time at work,
has problems with his or her partner. , and continually feels sexually dissatisfied.