Dear JW:

“If there’s any way you can help that’s be great”- my suggestions: (1) Stop following the HOCD forums and other forums where you ask for members to reply to your questioning of your sexual orientation (“I keep reading forums to try to figure myself out and I can’t”), (2) Abstain from pornography, (3) seek psychotherapy if possible, (4) Plan and practice a daily routine that involves aerobic exercise and mindful guided meditations and practices (there are plenty of online resources, including in the home page of this website, as well as in books nd workbooks).

It seems to me (an unprofessional) that you are currently suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder/ symptoms, which include obsessive thinking about your sexual orientation (the Obsessive part of OCD) and compulsions to discuss your questioning of your sexual orientation (the Compulsive part of your OCD). Obsessions are like itches that require to be scratched. When scratched, there is a temporary relief before it itches again, seeking to be scratched once again. Obsessions are not satisfied with answers.

anita