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Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is an effective method for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

What is Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy?

Exposure and Response Prevention therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to treat OCD, which begins with obsessions. These are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress. These obsessions lead to compulsions, which are behaviors aimed at reducing distress or preventing something unwanted from happening. Although compulsions provide short-term relief, they ultimately reinforce the obsessions, making them worse over time.

How Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy Works

Facing Obsessions

ERP therapy interrupts the cycle of obsessions and compulsions by encouraging people to confront their obsessions and resist the urge to perform compulsions. During ERP therapy, patients gradually and carefully face their obsessions, sit with the resulting discomfort, and refrain from engaging in compulsive behaviors. This process is done with the guidance of a trained therapist who helps the patient manage the distress and build resilience.

Practice Exposures

In ERP, patients start with exposures that cause minimal distress and gradually work up to more challenging exposures. This gradual approach helps build confidence and ensures that the patient is not overwhelmed. By consistently practicing these exposures and resisting compulsions, patients learn to tolerate distress and accept uncertainty. Over time, this reduces the power of the obsessions and helps the patient regain control of their life.

Exercises to Resist Compulsions

ERP therapy often involves exercises both in and outside of therapy sessions. These exercises are sometimes planned with the therapist, and other times they occur in everyday life. The goal is to make resisting compulsions a habit, thereby diminishing the distress caused by obsessions. This therapeutic process helps patients accept that unwanted thoughts, images, or urges will eventually lose their distressing impact.