Exposure & Response Prevention
THERAPY FOR OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)
WHAT IS Exposure and response prevention?
ERP is the most commonly recommended form of therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
It has been consistently shown to be a very effective treatment for OCD, which is a common condition characterized by intrusive, distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing that distress.
WHAT IS OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is common, affecting 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 200 children.
OCD is a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images or urges that trigger extremely distressing feelings.
Compulsions are behaviors engaged in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease the levels of distress.
The distressing thoughts experienced by people with OCD can take many forms. Some people are preoccupied with excessive thoughts about germs, some with rigid morality, some with a need for symmetry, balance, or numerical patterns. One common form of OCD involves intrusive thoughts of terrible things happening.
WORKING THROUGH OCD WITH ERP
It might be hard to believe, but these thoughts don’t have to bother you anywhere near as much as they do right now. You can develop a different relationship with your own thoughts, so that you’re able to do more of the things you want in life.
The Exposure in ERP refers to exposing yourself to the thoughts, images, objects and situations that make you anxious and/or start your obsessions.
The Response Prevention part of ERP refers to making a choice not to do a compulsive behavior once the anxiety or obsessions have been triggered. I will guide you through this process so that you will eventually learn to do your own ERP exercises to help manage your symptoms.
EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION
With ERP, the difference is that when you make the choice to confront your anxiety and obsessions you must also make a commitment to not give in and engage in the compulsive behavior. When you don’t do the compulsive behaviors, over time you will actually feel a drop in your anxiety level. This natural drop in anxiety that happens when you stay “exposed” and “prevent” the compulsive “response” is called habituation.
My goal is to work with you to reduce your anxiety, stress and even shame that can come from OCD behaviors. We will work together to bring a level of understanding and commitment to handling the triggers and emotional responses.
With time and commitment, you can learn to better control the thoughts that lead to distressing response behaviors.
OCD is manageable and I welcome the opportunity to meet with you and chat about your path forward! Give me a call or contact me by email.
