Exposure and Response Prevention
Exposure and Response Prevention is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The therapy is based on the idea that avoidance and compulsive behaviors in response to anxiety only serve to maintain and reinforce the problem. By confronting fears directly and methodically, ERP helps individuals learn that their feared outcomes are unlikely and that they can tolerate anxiety without resorting to rituals or avoidance.
How ERP Works
ERP is tailored to each individual's specific fears and compulsions, and it is usually most effective when conducted by a trained therapist with general experience in treating anxiety.
In practice, a client is exposed to thoughts, images, objects, or situations that trigger their anxiety. The client is then coached not to respond with their usual compulsive safety behaviors or rituals.
Exposure is usually conducted gradually, starting with situations that cause mild anxiety and progressively moving towards more anxiety-provoking situations. During exposure exercises, the person stays in the anxiety-provoking situation long enough for anxiety to decrease on its own without engaging in compulsive behaviors. Repeated exposure to feared situations helps reduce the anxiety response over time, as the person learns that the feared consequences do not occur.