The RP in ERP

Hi! I've been on my OCD healing journey for about half a year and I have seen a lot of success. I'm reaching out for advice, I am very willing to do exposures because I know the more I do them, the more I get better, but I struggle with the response prevention part. I don't know how to control my brain when it comes to facing the fears especially since most of my compulsions are mental. I can tell myself the typical things "I am okay with the uncertainty of this happening", etc. but its like my brain doesn't believe them. I've been stuck in this disconnect for a while and would love advice you have heard from a therapist or learned that has really help you.

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 20w

Hello! Anxiety does poop (I love your profile name) Great work on staying engaged in your treatment. If your OCD recovery seems stuck, I'd encourage you to discuss this with your therapist. Mental compulsions are challenging because they tend to "run in the background" and sometimes without our awareness. I like to start there - increasing awareness so that you can notice when they are occurring. You can practice observing the compulsions as they occur, just as you observe the intrusive thoughts. Once you become aware that you are engaging in a mental compulsion or having the urge to do a compulsion, notice that urge and shift your attention back to the present, value based activity in front of you. It is a specific skillset that requires practice. Your ERP therapist can support you with this along the way :) Learning to do Response Prevention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riKw294RZMw&t=63s

Crook

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 22w

I have the same problem and based on your profile, we have the same themes.

Girlypop

Date posted: 25w

ERP for fear of cancelation? (Event/False Memory)

What ERP or other techniques do you use to combat fear of cancelation? Especially curious about those with taboo thoughts, false memory ocd and event ocd based off of real events where the fear of cancellation may actually hold some validity. I once did my own ERP not under a therapist but just on my own I decided to create an anonymous account on Twitter and defend a friend who was receiving online criticism. I knew that this would be semi-controversial so I was expecting backlash and when I recieved troll replies it actually seemed to be a really helpful low-stakes exposure activity. Is this something that others have done? Low stakes online posts etc. that you know will recieve negative responses? I have had severe OCD as a kid as pretty much every subtype under the sun, and as an adult I pretty much have all the types under control except for this real event and false memory and taboo thought OCD. It seems like a different beast since it's somewhat realistic in the camcellation culture today, and it's confusing to address. Ive shut down almost all social accounts and it's keeping me from progressing in a career where I need to have an online presence :/

Rachel Owsley

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 21w

Challenges with ERP

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the hardest but most effective treatments for OCD. If you’ve started ERP, what has been the biggest challenge in resisting compulsions?

Patrick McGrath

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 20w

What's been the biggest surprise from ERP?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) isn't always easy, but as one of the most effective treatments for OCD, it's worth it. If you've started ERP, what has been the biggest surprise you've experienced in learning to resist compulsions? If you haven't started ERP yet, what is holding you back from starting?

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

The RP in ERP

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community