An Introduction to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that is especially effective for treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), though it can also help with other anxiety-related conditions such as phobias, panic disorders, and/or social anxiety.

ERP is considered to be the gold-standard treatment to help people overcome their OCD.

ERP involves two key components:

1.     Exposure: Gradually and repeatedly expose yourself to thoughts, images, objects, or situations that make you anxious or trigger your OCD obsessions.

2.     Response Prevention: Actively prevent yourself from engaging in compulsions or rituals (the behaviors or mental acts you usually perform to reduce anxiety).

ERP reduces OCD symptoms through three different types of learning:

1.     Habituation - Learning that anxiety does not last forever, will go down over time, and reduce the intensity of the urges to ritualize.

2.     Disconfirmation - Learning that this things OCD says will happen do not happen or are extremely unlikely to happen.

3.     Mastery - Learning that you can tolerate doubt, uncertainty, and the presence of unwanted thoughts without having to change or suppress them, so that you feel in control, rather than OCD.

To learn more about how I can support you in overcoming your OCD, feel free to book a Discovery Call to see if we might be a good match for therapy.