- Date posted
- 36w ago
What is ERP?
Can someone tell me how ERP works and give a particular example of an exposure and how its carried out? i need to know if its in addition to CBT or a part of it or something.
Can someone tell me how ERP works and give a particular example of an exposure and how its carried out? i need to know if its in addition to CBT or a part of it or something.
It’s kinda like a facing your fears typa deal. For example if knives were the exsposure, I’d hold one and attempt to refrain from any compulsions. Or if it’s mental, you’d try to allow thoughts to be there without mentally reviewing it. In the end it’s learning that your greatest fears are least likely to happen, & ERP is used to support that.
@Pepsicola Mental compulsions are tough as hell to deal with. They can be so automatic. Then you do ERP to just allow them to be there without responding, and that in itself becomes another compulsion, trying to NOT engage. You can hyper-fixated on that too. How do you win? I don’t know
-What is ERP therapy: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ocd-treatment/erp/ -What’s An OCD Trigger? https://psychcentral.com/ocd/what-is-an-ocd- -What’s Pure O OCD? https://www.verywellmind.com/pure-o-primarily-obsessional-ocd-4159144 -OCD vs. GAD Differences: https://ocdla.com/ocd-vs-gad-7071
i don’t think i can, i can’t stomach the possibility of these things, or maybe i can (because they might be true and deep down i know that) and just don’t want to and want to pretend it isn’t there. i can’t do ERP, i just want to pretend it isnt there and won’t happen to clarify, i know i have to do ERP, i know it’s necessary; i don’t need to be told this, this is just how i am feeling currently
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.
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