Wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I recently started going to a therapist and she never mentioned ERP but claims to have a lot of experience with OCD. Her advice to me when I have intrusive thoughts is to remind and tell myself that it is just my OCD and just the way my brain is wired that is making me obsess. I just saw a post about ERP therapy and how you’re actually supposed to confront the thoughts. Is what she is telling me to do bad advice?

Comment deleted by user

ERP is the gold standard treatment for OCD. I wouldn’t say he advice is bad unless telling yourself “it’s just my OCD” becomes a compulsion or form of self reassurance. I would ask her if she knows about ERP

So here’s the thing. Different approaches work at different times, and for different people. It’s not super black and white. For example, although you ideally don’t want to give in to compulsions, sometimes certain reassurances can work. Sometimes they can’t. For examole: If you are worried you have some health problem. It’s okay to look it up and see what it might be. As long as you don’t keep looking after you find the answer. That is where it becomes compulsive territory. It’s okay to ask someone “what would you do.” It might be a form of reassurance, but as long as you don’t ask again or don’t do anymore compulsions, it’s a step forward. It’s not 0 or 100. There’s grey areas. And so with your therapist, although what she said isn’t the ideal way of dealing with ocd, there are times where it can work well. Just to mindfully separate ocd type thoughts with other thoughts, can help you become more aware and remind you not to give in to intrusive thinking. Having said that, this method alone will limit your recovery. So ask her if she does erp, or acceptance commitment therapy; or even dialectal behavior therapy which can help with OCD as well. If she does none of them, she’s obviously not specialized in it.