not paramisia but do u have any resources for trying to tell the difference between (insert paraphilia here) and para-related OCD? ive been trying to figure out if im a zoo for forever, long before i even knew i have OCD, and im really at a loss at this point... ive gotten to a place where i no longer feel ashamed of it, ive found safe outlets especially through alterhumanity, i more just want to Know yknow. thanks for running this blog :)
Honestly it's a bit hard to differentiate them, especially when it's a non-sexual paraphilia, but I'll give you some of the more general information.
With paraphilic OCD on its own, there is no desire. It's all just intrusive thoughts and distress over those thoughts. There isn't any desire to explore it, they want nothing to do with it. There might be arousal non-concordance (ie; unwanted wetness or erections), but it doesn't co-exist with any desire.
For paraphiles who experience internalized shame, desire is present alongside that distress. There is a desire, but the person feels distress over that desire, and either attempt to internalize it or feel guilty while indulging.
For paraphiles with attraction/arousal non-concordance, the person experiences distress towards the thing they are attracted to or aroused by, but not necessarily by the status of being a paraphile.
Let me use an example here with dogs.
Zoophilic OCD: Person A is paranoid about being a zoophile. This paranoia causes sexual thoughts about dogs to pop into their mind, which only reinforces their distress, causing a cycle. Their body may have an unwanted response (arousal non-concordance) to it, but there is no internalized feelings of longing, and the physical response is purely from paranoia.
Zoophile with internalized shame: Person B experiences all of the same cycle of distress as person A. However, person A does have internalized feelings of longing.
Arousal non-concordant zoophile: Person C experiences terror or repulsion of dogs. However, person C keeps experiencing attraction or arousal towards dogs, which causes distress. They may not care about actually being a zoophile, they just wish they'd stop having these thoughts/feelings about dogs specifically because of their terror/repulsion towards them (ie; they might think "if I am a zoophile, I'd rather be a zoophile for [insert animal here], because at least I'm not afraid of/disgusted by that animal.")
Overlaps between person B & C can exist - such as a person who has internalized shame about their paraphile status and also has arousal non-concordance simultaneously.
For example C, sometimes arousal non-concordant paraphiles experience obsessive-compulsive features, and thus the only difference between example A and example C is that people in example A there is no yearning, and in example C there is yearning - they just dislike it.
And an additional note is that people with internalized shame may also develop (or just coincidentally have) moral OCD, and if they're under the impression that their paraphilia makes them a bad person, then that could cause an overlap between A & B too.
In the end, it all comes down to "well, what are your underlying feelings about this thing?"
The questions to ask yourself are:
-Do you experience any actual desire, or just paranoia (which may sometimes cause a physical arousal response)?
-Does the OCD center purely around paraphilia (paraphilic OCD), or do you have OCD about morals in general (moral OCD)?
-Does your paraphilia have obsessive compulsive tendencies (arousal non-concordance), or are you just ashamed?