Exposure and Response Prevention therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that is proven to be the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders, including OCD.
Common symptoms of anxiety are:
- nervousness, restlessness, or being tense
- feelings of danger, panic, or dread
- rapid heart rate
- rapid breathing, or hyperventilation
- increased or heavy sweating
- trembling or muscle twitching
- weakness and lethargy
- difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
- insomnia
- digestive or gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, constipation, or diarrhea
- a strong desire to avoid the things that trigger your anxiety
- obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- performing certain behaviors over and over again
- anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past, especially indicative of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
According to the International OCD Foundation:
“The Exposure in ERP refers to exposing yourself to the thoughts, images, objects and situations that make you anxious and/or start your obsessions. While 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.” All of this is done under the guidance of a therapist at the beginning — though you will eventually learn to do your own ERP exercises to help manage your symptoms.”
ERP is effective for all anxiety disorders, as it teaches you to embrace, rather than suppress the feelings of anxiety, thereby giving you more power over these symptoms. ERP can work for all ages and provides long-term coping strategies.