No reflection(no mirror) challenge to cure Body Dysmorphia?

Do you experience any distortions with looking at other people? I don't know how common this is with people with body dysmorphia but I briefly went out with a girl who seemed to have that with other people to some extent. I remember finding out they've done fMRI studies showing there are brain changes, so I wonder if it kind of depends on whether it has gotten to that level for whatever reason. I remember she shared once sometimes people kind of look wrong to her, she assured me she didn't see me that way but if she sees others that way too it makes me wonder how it kind of works because usually it's supposed to be for oneself from what I understand. The way she said it makes me think it may be more than a passing thing and related to the BDD diagnosis.

 

I struggle with SSA and gay porn due to my insecurities. I've done mirror avoidance. It definitely helps.

 

Do you know exactly what features you dont like about yourself?

I will go probably against general opinion, but fuck it that's what I experienced and what really helped. Pick 2 max 3 features that you dont like the most about yourself and get it fixed by surgery. Dont go more because you dont want to spiral that way and cause other problems.

I had self-diagnosed BDD about 10 years ago, spend many hours looking in the mirror disliking what I see, I have also attended BDD support groups in the UK (there are some and were relatively good), I heard there many crazy stories about other people some struggling with it even over 50 years, some attending those groups for decades told me that you can learn to live with it and manage it but never eliminate it and it will always be somewhere on the back of your mind bothering you, some days more, some days less.

On the other hand, I knew exactly what I didnt like about myself, so I picked 3 things I was mostly fixated on and got it fixed surgically about 5-3 years ago. Best invested money of my life. My BDD got reduced by 95% (I dont even consider myself having BDD anymore), mirrors dont bother me anymore, I found it much easier to love myself (not narcistically but healthy), to self-accept, my attitude changed, my interactions with other people changed, my life changed. This is just my experience your mileage might vary though.

One more piece of advice at the end: If you decide to go this way, dont go to any plastic surgeon (particularly not the cheap one), because he might fuck it up even more, you end up having 3 failed surgery and forced to go to really experienced one (and really expensive) just to get it fixed because it will affect your life medically but certain damage will be already done and even such doctor cannot do the miracles. I heard this stories many many times over and over. Also people will tell you "see its BDD you are never happy with the results". Luckily I have done my research before and wisely pick the worlds top doctors for those procedures so I was not disapporinted at the end and got it fixed properly. For example if you want to get your ears fixed (or whatever else), dont go to plastic surgeon who is doing all body parts (there are 1000s of them), but pick only that doctor who is specialized doing ear surgery and nothing else (maybe 3-5 surgeons in the world). Such doctor can sometimes do 200 surgeries ear per year just to doing exact same procedure and is master in it. He knows what to do when shit hit the fan on the surgery table (it happens often) unlike general surgeons.
My only regret is that I had not done it when I was 20 years old but also I didnt have money then and I had to earn them first. Still best decision of my life.