At Home Tips for SO-OCD and ROCD Exposures

Dr. McGrath answers a question providing some at home things you do for exposures for SO-OCD or ROCD.

[jamlaw]

I feel like any involvement/texting with a potential dating partner is an exposure, because it's constant anxiety regardless of what choice i make. Fun! 😂😖 For me it's more like, I will destroy this, he hates me, do I even like him? Etc. on a loop. This is helpful, realistic doubts and coping with perfectionism vs. out of the blue. I think what I think is ROCD at the moment might be anxiety and trauma around perfectionism.

[jesuscisneros]

Hey what about if you have like rocd or anxiety and just had a thought that says what if I'm gay what do u do then ?

[NOTHlNG]

Everyone say that exposure is the key...but how the heck could you make yourself jump right into something that causes you all the unbearable anxiety? That makes every nerve in your body wants to explode? That completely opposes your personality?

Sure, you afraid of spiders, you can ease your anxiety by getting closer and closer step by step, finally getting used to.
But how on earth could you ever get used to HOCD thoughts??? How could you ever feel natural and comfortable with something that otherwise drives you insane?
And how should you exposure? Going to a gay bar? Dating a man? Or what cause it sounds like the only way...but even if you get 100% ok with HOCD thoughts, stop resisting and such - wouldn't that make you just even more worried about your sexuality? Like "I resisted these thoughts because I consider myself heterosexual, but now that these thoughts doesn't even bother me, they became natural to me...am I surely heterosexual?"