- Date posted
- 2y ago
Erp
I want to get started with erp. How do I go about it? What are the exercises?
I want to get started with erp. How do I go about it? What are the exercises?
I started erp with my therapist through NOCD, it really did help and made a huge difference for me. I’m not actively going to therapy, but still am able to practice erp. If you choose to start on your own, just be careful! Over exposure can be really triggering and anxiety inducing!
So there should be an option on your app under therapy where you can schedule an appointment, and I believe you can do a free 15 minute consultation appointment beforehand as well. Erp exercises are different for everyone that has ocd! It really just depends on your obsessions and compulsions.
Op, erp differs for everyone. First it helps to understand what your obsession is and your underlying interpretation of it. Then you can identify what triggers you. You list your compulsions and you make a list of the triggers and rate how distressing each one. You will start with the least distressing one, trigger yourself intentionally, sit with the discomfort, the continue on with whatever you were doing. The app has a tool to help you do this but it can be very challenging to do alone. Please seek help from a therapist or read some books avoid ocd, erp, or cbt. An erp example I can give you is your obsessed with someone coming into your house so you check the lock 10 times. You go for a few minutes without checking the lock. Keep track of distress levels as time goes on then you could challenge your initial interpretation and the uncertainty that nothing happened in that time by not giving in to your compulsions .
@divyD Sorry about my typos. I’m not sure erp is a suitable tool for general anxiety and depression. But cbt in general can help you.
How do I go about it
Are you interested in getting set up with a nocd therapist?
Yes
What are the erp exercises
What’s one erp exercise for anxiety and depression
So your ERP is customized to your OCD. You want to set up that consultation to make sure NOCD treatment is the right fit for you :)
I hope we can talk one on one please
So I’m not a therapist or anything, just another client on here navigating ocd! I am not fully comfortable giving examples because I don’t know enough about exposures for those, and I don’t want to mislead you. I would really recommend getting in touch with a therapist! I’m sorry I can’t be of more help
At least one erp exercise to help me
lol what is this weird interaction of promoting paid therapy?
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
So you got to ask me anything… Now I’d like to ask you something! I’ve heard from Members that they were so scared coming to their first ERP session. They were terrified that I would think they were crazy, that I would tell them their worst fears were true. That I would confirm they are some form of a terrible person or have them hauled off to prison for their thoughts. I’ve also had Members share how they’re very scared to begin ERP treatment because they’ve researched enough to know it means facing the fear, without the compulsions that have kept them feeling safe (but not really safe) this entire time. They struggled to see how they could be capable of doing this, while simultaneously acknowledging that they did not want to live like this anymore. If you have had your first session, what were your thoughts before? Did you have any hesitations or fears going into it? How did it turn out? If you haven’t yet begun to work with an ERP specialist, what is holding you back?
Can I hear some examples of specific parts of ERP that has helped you? I've been doing talk therapy for a few years and the major issue I have with it is that I already have analyzed all of my problems from every angle, so I'm kind of just sitting there yapping about it for an hour. I need solutions and things that make me feel better.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond