What Is Exposure And Response Prevention?
Anxiety is a natural alarm that lets us know something is wrong, making it essential for our survival. However, for those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), this response can be triggered by fears or concerns that lead to compulsive behaviors or obsessive thoughts that take over our lives. We often spend hours each day consumed with thoughts and actions that feel like they are taking over us, sometimes against our will. OCD can take hold in children, adolescents, and adults alike.
The good news is that Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) is an effective treatment for OCD that offers a way to reclaim your life. As a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), ERP therapy targets the thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that keep you stuck in the cycle of OCD.
How Is Exposure And Response Prevention Incorporated Into Therapy Sessions?
With OCD, you may engage in certain behaviors—or compulsions—to ease your anxiety. ERP therapy involves deliberately facing anxiety-inducing situations and thoughts and then resisting the urge to carry out the usual compulsive behaviors. Although the idea of facing a fear may initially seem scary or counter-intuitive, Exposure and Response Prevention aims to demonstrate to yourself that what you perceive as threats do not, in fact, pose a danger. By working closely with your therapist to customize an ERP treatment that addresses how OCD manifests in your daily life, you will collaborate to create a plan to manage fears and silence intrusive thoughts.
ERP also aims to help silence the thoughts that hold your mind captive, making you believe things that are simply not true. Understanding how your OCD works will be key to creating a path to break away from it. We will spend time learning about the ways that OCD stays alive in your brain so that we can develop specific strategies to dismantle it.
For example, by resisting or avoiding negative emotions, we often end up feeling even more discomfort. Instead, accepting the distress and learning tools to help allow it to subside naturally can lessen its impact. Not only will you realize that you can tolerate the distress you have been trying to avoid, but you will also develop resilience and adaptive skills to keep intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors in check.
The work done in sessions will be gradual and move at your pace. We will create a list of situations that are the least uncomfortable and then progressively move toward those that are more intense. With ERP therapy, your brain will gradually change the way it responds to perceived threats, thereby alleviating anxiety so you can experience relief. Once your ERP treatment plan has been created and practiced, the goal is to empower you with a blueprint to manage these triggering situations without needing a therapist.
CBT Treatment Center offers Exposure and Response Prevention either in-person or via Telehealth. We have found that online ERP therapy for OCD can be especially beneficial because it gives clients the ability to work in their home environment, where they are often more affected by triggering situations. Practicing ERP techniques in real-time within the environment that affects you the most effectively builds momentum in achieving your goals. Additionally, children are usually less distracted when attending sessions from home and they feel more comfortable opening up from the comfort of their own home.
Who Can Benefit From Exposure And Response Prevention?
CBT Treatment Center specializes in treating anyone who suffers from OCD, including children, adolescents, and adults. In general, ERP counseling will be most beneficial for individuals who are motivated to overcome their OCD once and for all. Although “Exposure and Response Prevention” may sound daunting, it is the gold standard for OCD treatment. ERP therapy helps you fully understand what OCD is so you can develop effective ways to manage it.
When it comes to OCD, receiving the right kind of therapy is essential for success. Unfortunately, going to a therapist who doesn’t specialize in OCD or uses a modality other than ERP therapy can oftentimes end up doing more harm than good. While other therapies can inadvertently reinforce fears or create new compulsive behaviors, Exposure and Response Prevention helps to shrink the harmful effects of OCD and is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD. “Research shows ERP and medication are the most effective treatments for OCD, with about 70-85 percent of people benefitting from one or both.” [1]
When undergoing Exposure and Response Prevention, we will be careful to make sure you have a voice in your treatment and feel comfortable with the steps we take. With support and compassion, you will learn how to sit with feelings of anxiety and discover your ability to tolerate uncomfortable emotions.
How Exposure And Response Prevention Therapy Helps Family Members
Because our team includes therapists who specialize in working with children, we have expertise in creating a safe and comfortable environment for families who may be dealing with the effects of OCD. With ERP therapy for children and teens, we include parents and family members in the treatment to ensure that they receive helpful guidance that helps them avoid engaging in accommodating behaviors that can reinforce their child’s OCD. As parents, it’s hard to know how to help our kids when they are suffering, and our treatment aims to support you with this. Additionally, teens and adults may want a loved one supporting them in treatment which we encourage.
Why We Incorporate Exposure And Response Prevention Into OCD Treatment
Seeing how effective ERP therapy is for treating our clients with OCD has made us passionate about sharing this treatment approach with others. We have witnessed firsthand the life-changing effects of Exposure Response Prevention treatment to manage the symptoms of OCD, helping countless people find relief in a relatively short amount of time.
At CBT Treatment Center, our therapists are extensively trained in Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and will ensure that therapy for OCD is accessible and adapted to all ages and needs. If you or your child is ready to be released from the intrusive thoughts that keep you stuck, ERP therapy can be life-changing. Allow us to partner with you or your child to find a successful path forward.
Learn How Exposure And Response Prevention Can Help You
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) offers effective treatment for OCD, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts. To schedule a free consultation to learn more about ERP therapy, please contact us.
[1] https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/