erp therapy

is it possible to do erp therapy alone? without therapist help i mean

VVbee

Date posted: Yesterday

I'm someone who has OCD for almost 10 years, and have only had therapy once and currently has no therapy nor source of ERP . It's not the same for when it comes to finding stuff to do yourself comparing to actual help sadly- but what I personally do is search up "OCD relief/ERP" videos on YouTube and also just hear out other people's stories and experiences ^^ which is another reason why I have this app . I also like making my own plans and "system" for my OCD such as "don't do compulsions for (insert how much time)" and if it's super uncomfortable by then I can finally do it and stuff like that.

Tanya.L

Date posted: Yesterday

@VVbee does it help? do you think you have progress in it?

VVbee

Date posted: Yesterday

@Tanya.L Is it better than actual ERP from therapist ? Sadly, probably not.. but compared to how I was before making my own plans to as of now with me making those changes- I have definitely helped myself out quite a bit and made progress, and it personally does give me some comfort : )) it may not be the same for everyone but at least that's my experience of it

Anonymous

Date posted: Yesterday

As far as exposures go, you can and should practice them on your own. However, as someone that has severe avoidance problems, it's good to have a session in which I have promised myself I would do an exposure. It's also great to get an outside perspective on your progress and hold you accountable. It's important to remember that ERP is about changing your response in reaction to your thoughts, not just exposures. It can be really helpful to have someone to talk about those thoughts with who is helping you work on achieving that goal. Kinda hard to do ERP if you have not identified what thoughts or behaviors are from OCD. Most importantanly, it is possible to do things incorrectly. For instance, because of the way my OCD works, I am susceptible to turning some of these desired behaviors into compulsions themselves and a therapist being there helps prevent that. Anything is better than nothing but I think the above reasons make it worth considering. I am not a mental heath professional.

Tanya.L

Date posted: Yesterday

@Anonymous thanks for answering! i actually have a therapist but she doesn’t work with ERP therapy, only with ACT therapy. and i am not sure whether i should or shouldn’t try to have a few sessions with another therapist who works with erp therapy

Anonymous

Date posted: Yesterday

@Tanya.L That's understandable. Personally, I see three different people for mental heath. The first is my prescriber. The second specializes in OCD and ERP. The third is trained in ERP but doesn't specialize in it and I want time with a therapist to work on non-OCD issues. Oh do make sure that your insurance allows this. They usually do if your therapists are billing for seperate issues (ex: one for depression one for OCD). Whatever you decide, you clearly know what you need to do to get better and seem to be committed to working on it. That's a huge first step so congrats and good luck

Tanya.L

Date posted: Yesterday

@Anonymous thank you for your advice. maybe i really need to try having another therapist and see whether it works better

Anonymous

Date posted: Yesterday

@Tanya.L That would be my recommendation but I'm not a professional. It's about you and your health, not loyalty to one person. Though I perfectly understand the desire to maintain the connection you have built with your current person. Don't be afraid to try something different. You can always go back. You're doing great!

Tanya.L

Date posted: Yesterday

@Anonymous thank you a lot! yeah i think i will feel guilty for changing the therapist, + i have said so many things to her it will be hard to open up to someone like this again, but i guess in this situation i should choose the thing that will be the best solution for me and my mental health

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