have hocd will cbt work

[scaredgirl86]

I have hocd which being obsessed with being gay and it's bothered me for 10 years i've been told a cbt specialist will be the best way to get over this. Has anyone gotten over this with cbt? Does cbt work?

[MyNameIsTerry]

CBT works for a lot of people, but not for all. Its something you have to commit to otherwise you don't get a lot out of it.

I think you need to work on acceptance so that you view yourself in a more compassionate way. Have you thought of trying Mindfulness? Acceptance is one of its elements and it teaches you to view thoughts without judging them. This ability to switch of the judgement is going to be key to getting you away from seeing yourself as homosexual when you believe you are not. (There is nothing wrong with being homosexual by the way for anyone who is)

[scaredgirl86]

Thank you for your reply yeah i figured it's something you have to work with and put time into but i'm ready to do that, thank you for your advice i will try it :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

There is a free CBT course on this website if you want to make a start and see how it helps you?

Something else to consider is that CBT has been combined with Mindfulness in a newer form of therapy. The UK version, MBCT, has already acheived NICE recommendation for us and they set the standard for quality care in the UK. This has been for recurrent depression but it's creator, Professor Mark Williams, uses it for anxiety as well and its getting more popular with new versions by other therapists being seen.

In the US, the guy that created the first version, MBSR, is Jon Kabat-Zinn. Our MBCT is based on MBSR as ours came later from Kabat-Zinn's work.

They both have websites with downloads. If you want the MBCT free meditations as a start, just Google Frantic World Mark Williams and on that site, look on the resources page. You really need to follow the 8 week course though but both of them have published several books on the subject which might be a cheap way to make a start.

I've had harm OCD intrusive thoughts which have mostly gone now. What I have found is that you need to stop reacting to them with emotion and anxiety. This retrains your subconscious to stop it sending the anxiety symptoms with it. If you think about these thoughts, you just empower them to grow stronger. This isn't quick or easy but it does work and for me, Mindfulness did most of that along with some CBT I had at the same time. My therapist recommended the Mindfulness but it took me months to really feel it and then I saw more subtle changes in my attitude 6-9 months later. Its worth it!

Everyone gets intrusive thoughts, its been proven in studies, its just that people don't realise as they flash through so quick. So, don't worry that you may still get them from time to time even when you recover, as long as you don't react to them they will just pass through in a couple of seconds and you won't think about them, you will just let them keep going past. This is where I am now, I've even laughed at them. They have no power over me anymore but before I never thoughts I would stop them. So, if I can do it, so can you. As time goes by and from your lack of reaction, they get less frequent and less intense. Mindfulness is also good because it teaches you to control your focus so you can pull yourself out of those thoughts that just keep going round and around.

Good luck!