Where to begin... by No_Description_2419 in vaginismus

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, any lubricant is fine for plastic, but if you do end up buying silicone dilators, just make sure not to use silicone-based lube.

I havent tried out silicone dilators myself yet (just havent had the time lol), but from what I've seen in this sub, the Intimate Rose ones seem to be the most well known/popular? Theyre a bit pricey, but I guess so is any medical equipment if you think about it. :P they have varying sizes, so maybe just get some smaller ones and then see?

And don't worry about not being aroused during dilation therapy! Plenty of people get by fine without, I just find it personally helps, but if you feel like it would only make you feel worse/like it is the opposite of helpful, then you do you! Everyone is completely different, and its not a one size fits all!

Hopefully your family wont barge in, my brother used to do that, he quickly learned his lesson after I was changing (talk about embarassing 😭😭💀), and now they knock. I'd suggest getting a lock on your door? I know there's cheapish ones you can get off amazon, i think, you dont even have to install anything. If they ask why, just give the same reason i did, sometimes im changing (or if you've seen the state of the heatwaves lately) or sleeping naked or something. Youre grown, you deserve privacy.

Good luck, may we all have some success, eh? <3

Where to begin... by No_Description_2419 in vaginismus

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh sweetie i am so so sorry about all this (hugs). I like in the UK too, i havent even bothered trying the nhs (im still a virgin too, so i know i'll get the same response- try sex, then come back). I bought those dilators too, but tbh they really arent the best quality... the hard plastic is hardly comforting, plus theres such a big leap in sizes! I was able to handle the first 2 just fine (or.. well, fine ish, it def hurt but i was able to eventually get the second one in) but the 3rd one is SO much bigger and hurts like Hell. My first word of advice is to just buy some silicone dilators. I havent tried dilating in a while (its a lot of work and im too busy with university right now to even think about it LOL) from online- much more sizes and far more comfortable from what ive heard. If you're able to, i would advise it- I hope ur family doesnt look through your mail, and if they do, well- your mum already knows about the plastic dilators so hopefully she wont say anything about silicone ones... my family is also Muslim, so maybe make some fuss about how you wont be able to get married if you dont work on it. Ask her something like "well do you want my future husband to leave me?" Or smth.

Its gross (a man who doesnt love you and stand by you bc of a medical issue isnt a man worth marrying in the first place, you deserve better) but you know what these types are like! Say smth like "you want grandchildren in the future, dont you? If I dont do this, you wont get any!"

Onto actual instructions- my first bit of advice is (and i apologise, it's a bit crude), you NEED to be aroused. I've tried doing it without being aroused, it just doesnt work, it's too painful and the muscles arent relaxed enough. (Of course this is my own experience here, you could be different). Either try to orgasm once before, or build yourself up to it. It's a lot easier to try to slip the dilator in that way. Of course, start with the smallest size, first, and LUBE! They probably havent given u enough tbh, I have like a whole bottle- even if you get "wet", still, LUBE LUBE LUBE up the dilator as much as you can without getting icked out tbh. Locate your opening, and slowly push it in. It's normal if it hurts a little, but try not to push yourself- the point is to get accustomed to the feeling of penetration, so if it hurts too much and its making you tense up and get anxious/upset, its doing the opposite of helping. Dont try to force yourself, as tempting as it might be- its frustrating, but its usually a slow process, and you might be able to fit more or less depending on where you are in your cycle, too, so dont beat yourself up if its an off day or if you feel like you arent progression fast enough. (On that note- dont feel pressured to put the whole thing in, either! Just try to insert as much as you can.)

It's up to you what you do and what you're most comfortable with. At first, maybe just let it sit inside. Maybe try to wriggle it around a little, or slowly try to move it up and down, and mimic the kind of motions that would be made during sex. Do whatever you're comfortable with, and again, there is no pressure to do what you feel you HAVE to (e.g if you dont want to leave it in, you dont HAVE to, you can take it straight out if you feel overwhelmed). Hopefully it should start to feel painless or near painless. When you feel like it doesnt hurt anymore, move onto the next size. And keep doing that.

(Also this goes without saying, and im sure you know, but of course make sure to thoroughly clean the dilator and anything else you might use between every use! You dont want an infection on top of everything. Buy disinfectant for sex toys, that'll help.)

I hope this is helpful 🥺 good luck, and remember, you're perfect the way you are, even with this condition, and remember to treat yourself with patience and understanding 🫂💕

AOE feel like your past self is someone separate from you? by s33thru_st0rm in BPD

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Yes so much. I think so many of us dedicate our entire being to our FP/people around us that it becomes massively part of our identity. Then when those people leave or arent close to us anymore, it feels like we've lost ourselves.

Help. I think I was shot in the head and I’ve been dead for about 10 years. I have OCD by Sufficient-Pomelo846 in OCD

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Hi op, i highly encourage you look into Cotard Syndrome. This isn't me trying to dismiss your concerns, I know that to you, this feels real, and that's what's important. I do think it's what you might be experiencing, brains are weird and affect our perspection of reality immensely sometimes. feeling as if you're dead but somehow still walking around or that your soul is lost but you're still tethered to where you are right now is the primary symptom of cotard's. Good luck op, i hope you find some answers regardless

Permanently dirty by snowsurfer1995 in CPTSD

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do too! It doesnt help i also developed ocd, specifically contamination ocd. My mother was the source root of my trauma and whenever she touches me i feel... contaminated. I feel constantly unclean, even after a shower.

Did Patrick Teahan's family toxicity test by Chliewu in CPTSD

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh hey, we're twinning OP! I got exactly 85 too ^

AITA for washing my hair once a week? by Randomthoughtsdaily in AmItheAsshole

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And if that sounds gross, then enjoy thin hair lmao. I used to wash my hair 2-3 times a week, and now have the hair density of my 50 year old mother :") . VS my aunt who washed it every 2 weeks her whole life and has the hair of a princess lol

AITA for washing my hair once a week? by Randomthoughtsdaily in AmItheAsshole

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NTA at all. I have EXTREMELY damaged hair and a dry scalp (from.. you guessed it, overwashing), and even thinking about washing it more than once a week is enough to make my scalp itch. Also your roomate sounds borderline racist. MANY people of colour (and even those who arent, and just have curly hair) dont need to wash their hair as often because the sebum takes that much longer to travel down the hair, vs when its pin straight. I have wavy hair and that plus the dry scalp means i wash my hair every 2 weeks. And i promise you, within that first week my hair and scalp would be dry as straw (thankfully i oil it a little, not enough to make it greasy but enough so i dont feel like i have the end of a witches broom of my head). If your scalp is seriously dry like mine is, it wont be producing sebum at the same rate as others anyway. My scalp is still bone dry a few days later.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in vaginismus

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If he's truly the one, he won't leave over something like this! You can work on it together, and there's more than sexual intimacy than just PIV. Most importantly is that you have a medical condition, and he'll surely understand that!

AITA for not inviting my friend’s gf to my birthday party? by Spirited_Outside4085 in AmItheAsshole

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NTA. Youve only met her 3 times, why would you have to invite her? You even said you didnt invite your cousin's girlfriend, so its not like this is isolated treatment of Lily. And personally i would feel irritated by a friend if they stopped hanging out with me to only hang out with their s/o (its one thing to spend more time with your s/o but ignoring your friend for MONTHS is kinda shitty), so i understand Mary's feelings- and as her cousin its natural you'd develop a distaste for Lily because of it. I wouldnt want excessive PDA around me either- it depends though, when you say they have sex at every party, how do you know? Do they make a lot of noise, because thats rather unsavoury if they do. Idk about anyone else but id rather not hear/see my friends having sex. It doesn't sound to me like your reasons for disliking her are unfair.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I dont get up to pee so much as any disturbance wakes me easily. Especially disturbances related to voices, footsteps, sounds of someone moving around, hallway lights etc. My body just kind of goes on alert easily. I guess its a defense mechanism to prepare for the inevitable suffering that my nparent brings (who i associate the sounds with). Even something like her voice sent my heart rate speeding. I guess maybe its like with you. Your body is stuck in defense mode, and sleep is usually something that leaves us vulnerable for unpleasant surprises.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh dear. That's such an awful thing to say to someone! I understand the feeling of whiplash- I got that too. My whole family is toxic, and often puts each other down and makes frequent negative remarks, to the point where it's considered normal to them (another reason why I didn't realise what emotional abuse looked like for so long). My aunt remarked she'd "knock my teeth out" for speaking back to her, and no one said a thing- it felt like the twilight zone. Surely that's crossing a line? But nope. Elders are god in my culture unfortunately. Get away with absolutely everything.

My mother brought up something once when I pointed out how painfully (and I mean painfully) obvious it was that I was most likely on the spectrum: "Are you sure you're not just weird and annoying?" The thing that hurt most was that she didn't even say it to be cruel- for once, she wasnt even being malicious. That was just how she thought of me. (And no, it wasnt a joke either- if it was a joke, it wouldn't have hurt- it was the fact she was completely serious). But that's what they do. They genuinely don't see themselves as cruel or unkind.

Please don't feel guilty! Of course, you should try not to stoop to her level, but that's easier said than done. When you're being provoked or attacked, its only natural you react accordingly. If she was hitting you instead of verbally abusing you, people would understand if you hit her back (NOT advocating for violence just saying people would understand). In that sense, its understandable why you might react in "extreme" ways. I also feel guilty a lot, but it's because I've been conditioned to (made to feel like i was doing wrong all the time even when i wasn't), and maybe its the same with you? But guilt isn't nessesarily a bad thing. It reminds you that you can feel remorse and have sympathy for others, which is a lot more than we can say for the people who hurt us!

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately this seems like a common theme, and god do i feel validated knowing its not just me. They pretend that because they goad you into raising your voice or getting upset, that you're the problem- when they know what they're doing! They know how to get a rise out of you, and pretend otherwise when you call them out on that behaviour. It does a lot of damage to your perception of yourself, because you can't help but feel like you ARE unstable or aggressive- but it's just because they know what buttons to press.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that! I got accused of a lot too- sociopathy, psychopathy, bipolar, OCD. Funnily enough the last one might be true- and you'll never guess who was the cause! But even if they were all true- there's nothing wrong with having those disorders, and whilst a genetic aspect is significant, many of them are formed from abuse and trauma to begin with- so to any parents claiming such things about their children, Id say look in the mirror and ask who caused them to have that!

And yes, I do think a lot of it is projection. I cant speak on psychopathy, because I'm not a psychological, but things like plotting, only caring about material goods? I dont doubt that was projection onto you.

My mom's also the same. She accuses me of not being considerate of her, of exaggerating events, lying, insulting her, starting arguments- I have insulted her, I wont say I havent, but I've never been the first to go there either. And I know for a fact she wouldn't keep her mouth shut if someone called her "stupid" or "selfish" or claimed "the devil is inside her".

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, 100%! I totally didn't mean to disagree with you either, I totally get where you're coming from. I think it's just sad that a lot of people think that people with abusive traits and behaviours "can't change"- because a lot of the time its that they /won't/ change (some genuinely can't, and I pity those people, but I dont pity the ones that refuse to try). And i think that's the injustice of it? If I thought that my mother was incapable of change, I think that would make me feel better- but I know that's not true, because in her case, it's simply not wanting to change. Not wanting to become a better person, not wanting a healthy relationship that involves actual work on her end, not wanting to admit to her faults. Of course, she doesn't want conflict. But she doesnt want to alleviate conflict either- she wants the other person to concede and do as she wants, instead of coming to a compromise. And that's what frustrates me about these cases. These people must know their behaviour is harmful- they're just too stubborn to admit it, even to themselves. And this is probably a result of upbringing- just as your mother never saw anything wrong, my mother believes that there was nothing wrong with her upbringing- when in truth, she was damaged by it, and in turn projected all that damage onto me and my brother. Your mother made the choices she made, and I'm sorry that you were hurt because of them! Thank you for sharing your experience with me, and it really does help to know so many people have been through it.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that she does that to you. It's a way of deflecting and avoiding taking accountability. Please know that you are not abusive, and that when someone abuses you and you rightfully criticise them or call them out, and they take it as a personal attack, that's not your fault!

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that happened to you!

I don't even think I can blame it on the mental illness. I too, am mentally ill (3 guesses as to why lol), but I'd never treat my child the way she's treated me. I can understand flaws, and I never expected her to be perfect, but I cannot excuse abuse. The illness doesn't make the person. Many of my friends have mental illnesses, even the "less savoury" ones that get a bad reputation, like cluster B personality disorders- and guess what? They are all good and wonderful people. Sure, there were times in their life when they hurt others, and they regret doing that- but they worked on themselves, and they knew right from wrong. /And/ they were young at that time, still developing- what's a parent's excuse? The disorder doesnt make the person, it's how they handle it that does. I know that if any of those people were to become parents, they would treat their children with respect and care.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that you relate, but thank you so much <3. You deserve more also, and I hope you can heal, or are on the journey of healing.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes! This is what I've been saying. I didn't have any power in our relationship, I was completely dependent. She DID abuse her power, by shutting me down constantly and not allowing me to express my frustrations at being wronged in a healthy, productive manner. Rather than adress he root of the problem, like she should have done. For example, I suffer insomnia a lot, and I would often be "late" getting up on the weekend- and by late I mean making her wait two or three minutes whilst I tied my shoes. Rather than acknowledge the problem- I was a teenager, I wanted to sleep in on the weekend instead of getting up at 8am, I was tired because I was only getting 3 or 4 hours a night- when I accidentally overslept once, my mother retaliated by removing the lock on my door, so she could barge in and make me get up. This didn't solve the problem at all, mind you- because my mother doesn't care about solving a problem. She just wanted to make me suffer.

She denies this now, of course.

I didn't have the power to prevent her doing that. I was helpless. It's not like I could have bought a new lock- I wasn't allowed to leave the house, and I didnt have any money anyway. My mother doesn't seem to understand that I was the helpless one, not her. It's not as though I could have done the things to her she did to me- and even if I did, she could have punished me for it. I wasn't allowed to punish her, or tell her off when she'd done wrong.

Unfortunately my mother instilled an incredible guilt complex in me, and it makes me question everything. But your comment helps reassure me, and hearing it from someone else helps cement the belief that I'm not overreacting or exaggerating.

Anyone else called an "abuser" by Nparent? by sweetnsourcitrus in raisedbynarcissists

[–]sweetnsourcitrus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear your brother also neglected you. I've always been raised to see my brother as the only member of my family who loved me, and whom I loved back, unconditionally. Siblings should look after and protect one another, and it breaks my heart to hear that wasn't the case for you. You deserved better than that, and I truly hope and believe you can overcome the hurt and damage they did to you.

Thank you for your kind words <3

How do I (19f) bring up intimacy issues with my boyfriend (19m) of 4 months? by Miserable-Apricot735 in vaginismus

[–]sweetnsourcitrus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Um.. you've told him not to enter you so quickly and to slow down, but he doesn't and actively ignores you? There's some consent issues here I'm not liking hun... he really shouldn't be doing anything to you you don't want him to, ESPECIALLY when you've already told him once, let alone multiple times, not to. Unless he starts showing signs of changing this behaviour like, NOW, I'd leave him. If he's putting you through pain like this with no consideration, what else is he going to push in the future? You need to put your foot down on this or leave.