Indeed, research has found that nearly everyone experiences some form of intrusive or unwanted thoughts sometimes, and about a third of people with OCD specifically have sexual intrusions. It’s anxiety manifesting as all the things we’ve been taught to fear about sex.9 And effective interventions exist. A quick internet search will offer a number of different approaches that generally involve gradually reducing the level of anxiety people feel in response to the thoughts, which in turn reduces the frequency, intensity, and perceived importance of those thoughts. If you have unwanted,
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