Is There A Cure For HOCD?

Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, more commonly known as HOCD or sexual orientation OCD has become ever more notorious in the last few years. More men are coming out as gay and more often at earlier ages than previously and this is increasing the prevalence of HOCD. So what is HOCD? It is defined as an obsessive compulsive disorder that sees the person obsessing over the idea that he might be homosexual and constantly thinking,’Am I gay?’. The obsession takes control of his life and causes him anxiety. It is similar to the more familiar OCD, which is when your life is controlled by a behavior that you must engage in. These behaviors can be something that to others seems so mundane like washing your hands or categorizing your books by the author’s last name, but can lead to a point where it is all you can think about, where it virtually controls your life. HOCD is the same. HOCD affects thousands of men every day and finding a cure can seem daunting, but we here at Manplay.com hope to help you figure out your way of life. Stay positive, there is a cure, you can overcome HOCD.  

The Theories Behind The Cure Of HOCD

  There is a range of responses to HOCD. Some people can live their day to day lives and not have their HOCD bother them. It’s an afterthought that they have either dealt with in their own way or suppressed it enough that they can function without thinking about it. Others have trouble separating their thoughts from their day to day tasks. They might begin to feel isolated and alone, trapped by these obsessive thoughts. Research over the last few years has proven that CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been one of the most effective treatments for HOCD. In a treatment referred to as Exposure with Response Prevention, they overexpose the HOCD patient to activities that may trigger an HOCD response. These activities could involve taking a gay test, viewing homosexual pornography or listening to other people’s coming out speeches and things of a similar nature. This on its own can seem this can seem very overwhelming, and while it does work for some, there are other ways to curing this type of OCD. It is all about allowing yourself to be comfortable in your own skin. 

The Ultimate Gay Test Is To Let Go Of Your Fears

 If the HOCD patient allows themselves to accept whatever feelings boil up, they are better able to determine how they truly feel. By paying close attention to their own reactions, HOCD patients may recognize and embrace their sexual orientation more readily. If they resist the stimulus, it could be evidence that proves to them that they are not really homosexual at all. This could give them clear minds in this regard. Conversely, they may find that they do not seem to shy away from these experiences. It may awaken certain emotions within them. Then they may find themselves coming to terms with the truth that they are in fact homosexual. Once the discovery in one’s self is made, helping them either overcome those emotions or supporting them can begin. There is a wide variety of support groups out there both online and in person. Whatever your level of comfort might be there is a place for you to share your feelings. ManPlay.com has on-going discussions about how to overcome and cure HOCD with men who have been through exactly what you are going through right now. It can be nice to have a discreet conversation about this with someone who does not know you or your history.

Cure Your HOCD With Mindful-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

 There is also the practice of Mindful-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which can be used for the treatment of patients suffering from HOCD. This technique works differently from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Instead of flooding a person with homosexual pornography in order to elicit a reaction, the therapy approaches the situation from a different slant. The therapist allows the person to acknowledge their thoughts and fantasies, thus accepting them. Once this is accomplished, the therapist and patient can determine the appropriate outcome for the individual. To complicate the situation further, there may be patients who actually fear not having HOCD. This may seem odd, but it is not that farfetched. Consider the example of the person who suffers from OCD. Part of the response to the disorder can be to obsess over not having OCD. This can be very daunting for most people, if you suffered from OCD or HOCD, you understand this emotion. It is hard to focus on other things in your life when this is clouding your mind up.

The patient will never obsess about overcoming their OCD, but they may obsess about strategies that could assist them to keep the disorder under control. The same can be said for obsessing over not having HOCD. A person may recognize that they are homosexual, but that does not mean that they will think about men all day long. As a result, the person then obsesses over why he did not have those homosexual thoughts. Similarly, a person who considers himself to be heterosexual may become anxious because he does not think about women all day long. As you can see, this variation on the disorder can affect the homosexual community just as much as it can affect the heterosexual community.

The Main Reason Why You May Be Suffering From HOCD

While there is nothing wrong with having homosexual fantasies, studies show that this is the number one reason people who are dealing with HOCD have intense anxiety. It is not so much the fact that you’re having these thoughts; it is that these thoughts might be the reality of your life. The idea of dealing with the compulsive thoughts can scare a person more than the thoughts themselves. Often times, this can cause the individual to go to different extremes. This can include such things as avoiding anything perceived to represent homosexuality from music to websites to neighborhoods. It could also lead to having a string of meaningless relationships with the opposite sex just to prove they are straight. Often times the sufferer of HOCD has thoughts which are very all consuming. This can make it harder to deal with their current situation.

Recent studies have shown that their thoughts revolve around unanswered questions. Has my whole life been a lie? Will my family and/or friends still accept me? Will people judge me differently? How can I look at myself in the mirror anymore? Am I gay? These thoughts can be all consuming, and cause more stress than relief. Take some time to yourself, calm down and listen to what’s on the inside of your soul. Those questions will answer themselves in time once you have come to terms with your emotions. Place them on the back burner and think about yourself first. Your happiness should be your main priority.

Don’t Suffer Alone

If you personally cannot find a cure for HOCD, there are several support groups out there to help you get through whatever you are struggling with the most. These support groups can be found online or in person, and offer a safe community for you to share your thoughts and concerns. We understand that you may not have someone to talk to about this, but there are people out there who can help you get through what you are going through. This is something that you’re not alone in. Thousand of men have these feelings on a day-to-day basis and we encourage people to reach out and talk to someone about this. Bottling up your emotions or ignoring your feelings can often resort in added stress, which will affect your personal and career life more. Reach out, you are not alone. HOCD is very curable with both medical and non-medical remedies.  We at ManPlay.com want you to feel like you can open up to people who have had similar experiences and can help you cope with what you are going through. When you can’t turn to family for something this personal, why not try turning to a new friend or friends on ManPlay?  For further information on curing Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, please feel free to visit the following sites. There are plenty of online and in person support groups, education and information about symptoms, causes, and cures. You can overcome this.