Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
At the heart of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for OCD and related anxiety disorders is exposure therapy treatment—repeatedly doing the very thing that most terrifies individuals. For a patient with OCD, this might mean purposefully touching doorknobs without hand washing. For someone with a specific phobia, exposure might mean driving on the freeway or taking a plane flight. And an individual with social anxiety may be urged to go to the mall to initiate conversations with strangers.
Uncomfortable? Yes! Effective? Absolutely! Research supports that exposure therapy is one of the most effective ways to decrease anxiety (be it, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, or school anxiety). If you are interested in ERP therapy for OCD, anxiety, or related disorders in Northbrook, IL, contact us.
What Is Exposure and Response Prevention, also known as Exposure Therapy?
Exposure: The process of helping an individual confront feared thoughts, images, objects, or situations that are often avoided.
Response Prevention: Removal of SAFETY BEHAVIORS or SIGNALS (actions performed to prevent or minimize anxiety)
What Does Exposure Therapy (ERP) Look Like?
Following an initial assessment, we create a FEAR HIERARCHY/EXPOSURE MENU– a list of situations, objects, and images that trigger one’s anxiety
Types of Exposures
In-vivo/Situational Exposure – Direct confrontation with a feared object or situation.
Imaginal Exposure – Direct confrontation with frightening or intrusive images, thoughts, or memories.
Interoceptive Exposure – Confrontation with bodily sensations that often lead to panic attacks.
We work collaboratively with the client to gradually work through their fear hierarchy as they purposefully confront their fears (without safety behaviors).
During exposures, clients refrain from engaging in avoidance, distraction, or safety behaviors during exposures.
We vary up one’s exposure practice in different situations and settings.
We practice exposures in session, in the office, in the community, at schools, and even at home.
The goal of the exposure practice is to learn something new – whether it’s that an individual can handle their feelings of anxiety and uncertainty or that what the individual is afraid of happening didn’t occur.
Expect to be uncomfortable: Exposure is an opportunity to practice leaning into one’s anxiety instead of fighting it.
Who Could Benefit From Exposure Therapy (ERP)?
All ages – children, adolescents, young adults, and adults
Any individual with OCD or an anxiety-based disorder, such as Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, Specific Phobias, Panic Disorder/Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia, Perfectionism, Separation Anxiety
How is Exposure Therapy Different from What I’m Already Doing?
Randomly confronting and running into your fears throughout the day is NOT the same as Exposure Therapy.
Exposure Therapy is purposeful, structured, planned, and predictable.
Exposures are specifically designed to test out a negative prediction and have a thoughtful plan with an identified start and end point.
How Does It Help?
By facing what is most scary, uncertain, and anxiety provoking, we learn the following:
Our feared situations, outcomes, triggers, feelings, and body sensations are not as dangerous and scary as we initially thought.
When we start leaning into our feelings of anxiety and stop fighting them, they typically start to decrease on their own.
We are capable of tolerating the anxiety, risk, and uncertainty that we have avoided for so long.
Our feared outcomes usually don't occur; and if they do, we can manage it better than we thought.
How Can I Get Started?
All therapists at The North Suburban Center for Anxiety specialize in using Exposure Therapy to treat Anxiety, OCD, and Related Disorders. To make an in person or virtual appointment, complete the form HERE or at 224-326-0068.