The Need for Symmetry in my body

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myworstnightmar

New member
I have had this issue all my life. Whenever something touches one side of my body I have the urge for it to touch the other side in the same place. For example, if something cold touched my hand, i'd have the need for it to touch my other hand. I can sometimes resist the urge, however it makes me feel uncomfortable. Is there a name for this OCD? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? Thanks.
 
surewhynot

surewhynot

Well-known member
Oh wow, I remember feeling such urges when I was younger. I never really understood them, but now they're completely gone. Kinda strange when you think about it..
 
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marleysghost

Member
I think it's our need to find balance within ourselves, I have had similar feelings growing up myself... Speaking for myself I have always felt the need to find balance, finding the center as I have to admit I always had this strange fixation with my navel, I guess there is some strange philosophical explanation for this like staring inward at the center of myself
 
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myworstnightmar

New member
Hmm, maybe it's just something that will go away as i grow up, i'm only 18, so i may still experience it because i'm young, thank you for you help :)
 
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laure15

Well-known member
I think my brother used to be like you. In the past, when my brother broke his pen, he would make me break my pen too. If I get a laptop, he wants one too. It's probably an unconscious desire to make things look fair.
 
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marleysghost

Member
I think we do tend to grow out of a lot of our hang ups as we grow older. I think the key is to not over analyze these thoughts and idiosyncrasies too much. Not that I take my own advice.
 
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suburbiadaze

Member
Re: The Need for Symmetry.. yep

I had the same problem. It's still there, but I've progressed to other things. A decade later I now need everything to be even. Fairness especially. But I still have to touch things evenly, and my clothes can't feel uneven or I will change. I also swear I can feel the different colors under my feet when walking in and out of shade. If I step in shade with the left, I must do the same with the right. Used to drive me nuts. It doesn't take up so much of my time anymore because I now search for evenness elsewhere, like I stated. I do math compulsively. I was on Prozac, but it felt like a placebo to me. I just deal with it. Anxiety lessens as you age and have more going on in life.:)
 
coyote

coyote

Well-known member
here's an app you can use to take a photo of yourself and see what you would look like if your face WERE symmetrical:

Echoism
 
ebot

ebot

Member
Let me ask you something. If a spider crawled on your hand, would you need it to crawl on your other hand, or would the one hand creep you out? Same thing with a snake? Or how about a centipede? I'll bet that would be good therapy.
 
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user deleted

Guest
As far as I know, I think it just falls under one of the OCD subtypes. Nobody has ever given it a name for me. Part of my OCD is problems with symmetry and the feeling of my body being 'uneven'. I can't just touch and then touch with the other hand though, for me to feel 'balanced' I'd have to go.. for example.. Right hand, Left hand, Left hand, Right hand. It doesn't matter which leads, as long as it's the same. If I don't balance I can feel the state of imbalance in my body, one side is more weighted than the other.. I don't know, it's hard to explain. Aesthetic symmetry is important to me too, but I feel like that's more of a personal preference than a problem for me. My main problem is with the uneven feeling in my body.
 
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laure15

Well-known member
The need for symmetry is probably an innate desire that we humans have. Studies have shown that people consider symmetrical-looking faces and bodies more beautiful.
 
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suburbiadaze

Member
the feeling would still need to be repeated on the other hand. yes. what's wrong with spiders? ants are the creepiest. never just one ant
 
coyote

coyote

Well-known member
symmetry in design is a man-made (or "unnatural" if you will) phenomenon

nature/god does not create things symmetrically

there is an aesthetic principle in japanese art called fukinsei which refers to the highly desirable and purposeful use of asymmetry as a way of reflecting the perfectness of imperfection inherent in nature

i wonder how these design concepts might be adopted into our self/body-image
 
surewhynot

surewhynot

Well-known member
coyote said:
symmetry in design is a man-made (or "unnatural" if you will) phenomenon

nature/god does not create things symmetrically

there is an aesthetic principle in japanese art called fukinsei which refers to the highly desirable and purposeful use of asymmetry as a way of reflecting the perfectness of imperfection inherent in nature

i wonder how these design concepts might be adopted into our self/body-image
Click to expand...

Though, I would say that there is no such thing as unnatural. We, men, evolved from nature, hence we are part of nature.
 
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