How can someone get their anxiety down enough to do exposures without medication? . . . There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to this, but therapists will often work with their clients to design exposures that are achievable before gradually ramping up the intensity. Exposures themselves actually increase anxiety before it decreases over time. But if someone is already so anxious that they can’t begin to do exposures, they may want to consider revising their treatment plan with their therapist (or starting to work with an OCD therapist if they haven’t already). Working with an OCD therapist can help you better understand the long-term benefits of facing your fears through systematic exposures. It will also provide added motivation to endure the increased anxiety that initially comes when you are actively resisting your compulsions.

Hi and thanks for all the info and the support. I am currently trying this approach that you describe, to overcome it without medications. A few years ago I manage to lessen my anxiety with some kind of exposures but I was also in meds. Now I try without meds along with the help of a CBT therapists but the truth is that at the moment every single exposure or trigger takes me to anxiety crisis, and I feel that I go backwards in my recovery instead of forward. Unfortunately my therapist is closed because of Covid 19, and I was wondering if they will be NOCD therapists available for people that are outside USA, or if you can recommend for us, generally in the app, specialists in OCD that can help us through online sessions globally. I know form a fact that in many countries it’s very difficult to find a therapist that is specialized in OCD and sometimes it can be very difficult to get the right help. Thank you for all the info and the support tha we take from this app.