What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) falls under the umbrella of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Exposure and ERP are empirically based forms of treatment and are often used to treat anxiety, panic, phobias, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

ERP is one of the recommended treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It basically involves exposing yourself to a trigger for your obsessions and refraining from performing your usual compulsions. Triggers are objects, situations, or people that set up a fear-based response that leads to obsessing. Obsessions are intrusive by nature and can be thoughts, images, or sensations that are hard to get rid of. The compulsions are what you do, say, think, or see (visual images) to decrease the physical, emotional, and psychological discomfort experienced. ERP often involves tolerating anxiety and uncertainty without intervening. Other interventions helpful to treat OCD are mindfulness, self-compassion, and values-based living. DBT is used to help when ERP alone is not working for a number of reasons.

Magda Rodriguez offers consultation to therapists struggling to help clients with OCD and emotion dysregulation.