[Jday]

I need to know how I can stop taking part in voyeuristic activities such as photographing random women at the store or the park or anywhere for that matter? I understand I'm sick but I don't want to be sick anymore because I know this isn't who I really am.

[gayleggg]

See a counselor if you aren't already. Working through the process can help you figure out why you are doing this and how best to facilitate stopping. Sometimes we do stuff for reasons unknown to us. I used to shoplift and was too embarrassed to tell anyone. When circumstance made it mandatory that I speak out about it I was able to see how much my mood played a part and how to go about changing the habit. I haven't shoplifted anything in two years. You can over come your voyeurism too. Just don't hide. Talk about it. You are not sick, you just took on a coping skill you don't understand yet.

Originally Posted by Jday

I need to know how I can stop taking part in voyeuristic activities such as photographing random women at the store or the park or anywhere for that matter? I understand I'm sick but I don't want to be sick anymore because I know this isn't who I really am.

Hello Jday: I'm so sorry you are struggling. But I want to commend you for wanting to grow... to reach beyond your current circumstances. There's a saying that relates to physical fitness: "The first rule of working out is showing up." By posting your concern here on PC, you've "shown up". In other words you've taken that first big step toward your goal. That in itself is something to celebrate!

You received an excellent reply from Gayleggg. I'd like to 2nd & 3rd what she wrote. Of course, one immediate step to take is simply don't have a camera (smart phone?) with you. If you don't have the means to take pictures, you can't do it.

I'm transgender. And as a part of that I have had a bunch of different fetishes that I've struggled with over the years. As my living circumstances have changed, some of my fetishes have become less doable. I would have expected that this might have fomented a real crisis on my part. However, for the most part, it has not. When my circumstances changed such that a particular fetish was no longer "pursuable", I simply didn't do it anymore. I say "simply"... that probably makes it sound a bit easier than it was. But it didn't create any kind of crisis for me either. Sometimes habits are supported by the environment which is around us when we do them. And so, if we change the environment, then whatever it is we're doing becomes easier to stop.

I also want to add a word of caution here though. Most of us who are, as I am, closeted transsexuals have had the experience of accumulating the clothing & accessories of the gender we feel ourselves to be on the inside. Because we are closeted, we hide these things. Then, at some point, something happens & we make the decision to "purge" ourselves of what we have accumulated. We swear we'll never accumulate this sort of stuff again. But sooner-of-later we break down & start acquiring more clothing & accessories & the cycle begins again. This can happen over-&-over depending on how long we remain closeted. This is why Gayleggg's recommendation is so important. Ultimately you must figure out what is driving your compulsion to take pictures of random women. Otherwise, although you may be able to learn ways of preventing yourself from taking these pictures now, chances are you'll just start back up again at some later date, unless you get at the "root" of the problem.

I hope that something I've written strikes a chord with you. If there's anything about your situation you'd like to discuss privately, please feel free to Personal Message me any time. Best wishes...

[CANDC]

Welcome to Psych Central jday.

Another idea is just to take photos of other subjects. I like the show on PBS. Art Wolfe really does travel to the edge and gives wonderful ideas on how everything can be intensely interesting.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...80185997,d.cWc