please read and respond - freaking out

[Jregx1]

I have been dealing with my POCD really well the passed few months but today I’ve really started panicking so please give me some advice. Basically; if I had seen something/ someone that made me get a groinal response, and after this I felt as if I did wanted to pleasure myself… but whilst ‘pleasing myself’ I thought about me and my partner having sex, or my partner doing things to me.. not the thing that gave the the groinal cos I would never do this….is this bad? I feel like a monster right now

[deValentin]

As you probably know, there are a lot of neural factors that induce our sexual arousal and that aren't under our conscious control, but that depend on our autonomic nervous system (ANS).

So, when a certain external stimulus elicits a groinal response in me, it's up to my prefrontal cortex (responsible for logical thinking, planning, and self-control) to decide what meaning to give it. If I let my impulses give it a meaning it doesn't deserve, a meaning not in line with my values, it's easier afterwards to let the same impulses make me feel like a monster, and vice versa. And that cycle could repeat itself indefinitely.

It's why it's important to give bodily responses appropriate meaning to begin with, in line with our real beliefs.

(Located in the core of the brain, our limbic system is dominated by emotion and impulse. It includes the amygdala, which plays a key role in the fight-or-flight response and feelings of fear and anger. The interplay between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex is responsible for much of our moment-to-moment experience.)

[Jregx1 in reply to deValentin]

Thank you bff or your response. This is not even a recent thing or something that has really stood out to me right now… I’m just back thinking… the groinal response wasn’t even anything major and could pass as like a twinge or tingle…. I’ve been really good recently at just ignoring the groinal responses and getting on with my day… I think that why when I do get that response sometimes, I think hey ho I guess I could now ‘pleasure’ myself thinking about my partner.. it never really fazed be before because I knew I would never think about anything taboo or anything related to why I got that groinal response in the first place, I know that is not me, hence why I think about my partner. I don’t know why now I’m panicking when I haven’t even done this recently? I hope what I’ve said makes sense. I guess I feel guilty/ odd because it’s been done off the back of the groinal response, but I would NEVER act on the response because of what caused it/ think of anything taboo. That’s not me.

[deValentin in reply to Jregx1]

That's it. You need to slowly regain some well-founded self-confidence.