- Username
- You_are_not_your_thoughts
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Many of my members do them at anytime! School, yup! donut shop, done! Exposures with response prevention is meant to be done through out your life whenever things come up. Having said that, at first while practicing the skill of ERP, many people find it necessary to practice in a way they can focus on the learning enough to gain the skill. once it feels you have it down, ideal is to do it whenever and wherever 😁
I like to think of erp in two ways: “formal erp” where you might sit down and a purposely expose yourself by, for example, writing an imaginal (worst case scenario) script. And there are what I call “lifestyle erp” where you might continue on with your mall trip even though you might harm someone (for example). I always say - the best erp you can do is to live your life despite your fears. Intrusive thoughts are like background music. The goal is to allow the music to play while you continue on with your day. You don’t want to stop your day to try to change / stop the song. I hope this helps!
Great question and great responses. In general, an exposure entails confronting whatever makes you anxious, without mentally or physically disengaging. As stated by other therapists, this could be something you purposefully seek out or just encounter. Basically, as long as you are confronting your anxiety (either a physical stimulus or even a thought that comes into your head), and "staying" with the anxiety until your anxiety comes down by half or more, you are doing the basics of exposures.
Thank you, all of these comments have been so great to hear these days ( I kinda relapsed ), I’m currently dealing with ROCD and guilt and the urge to confess things that might felt wrong towards my partner. Not giving on the confessions is hard but your support really make people’s day better.
Hey there’s one thing I’m unsure about about treating OCD. I’ve heard exposure therapy works and you’re supposed to just agree with the thought but then what about those CBT worksheets that challenge the thought ? Doesn’t that clash with having to agree with the thought. Sorry if I don’t make any sense I just want to know the best method so I can heal.
Does going about your day while having intrusive thoughts and urges/sensations count as a exposure?
guys, I have a few questions. OCD is such an interesting thing because it is so simple yet so sneaky. The OCD I've been going through recently is (resistance to feelings) "I better not get feelings for anyone because I might lose control and be abandoned" my therapist has got me doing an exposure which is "I will get feelings, fall in love and be rejected" 5 minutes a day, 5 times a day. I noticed the anxiety subsiding but then I do move towards getting feelings and the fears return. Any advice here?
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