If you’ve ever looked into obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its treatment, you’ve probably heard of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, a specialized form of therapy proven to be the most effective treatment for OCD.
What you may not know is what truly sets ERP apart from other types of therapy, or other OCD treatments more generally—so let’s dive in and break down the differences.
The basics of ERP therapy for OCD
To start, ERP isn’t generic talk therapy, which isn’t recommended for OCD. In fact, talk therapy can often make OCD worse. This is because it often involves analyzing disturbing, unwanted intrusive thoughts or trying to replace them with positive ones—which you don’t want to do if you have OCD. Giving attention to OCD thoughts only makes them stickier and more distressing.
OCD is unique and complex, which is why ERP takes a completely different approach. It was designed specifically to treat OCD, so it accounts for the fact that intrusive thoughts don’t need to be engaged with. Instead, ERP helps you gradually face those thoughts and the distress they create while learning not to rely on compulsions for short-term relief.
Over time, this process can help you discover that you’re stronger than OCD wants you to believe. You’ll learn that the discomfort you feel will decrease and pass on its own, without you needing to do anything. This breaks the OCD cycle, or the continuous loop of fear and compulsions that maintains OCD’s power over your life.
To dive deeper into what makes ERP therapy uniquely effective, we asked the NOCD Community for their perspectives. As people with OCD who’ve been through ERP themselves, here’s how they said it compares to other treatments they’ve tried:
What makes ERP different, according to people with OCD
“It actually works.”
-Balance123
“Doesn’t make my OCD worse like talk therapy.”
-Anonymous OCD Conqueror
“It tackles my symptoms directly. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is helpful with certain aspects of anxiety and negative thought patterns, but ERP has gotten right to the source of my struggles and given me a way to deal with them.”
-toristiredoftiles
“ERP has not only helped my OCD, but my depression and anxiety as well. I have been able to apply the ERP concepts to other parts of my life and I have seen an overall wellness in my mental health, not just OCD. I am much more mindful and aware.”
-Robyn
“Having tools to face things, response prevention instead of avoidance.”
-HeartMama
“Once you get comfortable with embracing ERP, it starts to become a habit you can employ on the go. It has enabled me to learn to deal with intrusive thoughts relatively quickly, whereas before, I would have had that thought stuck in my head all day! And would have until I sought reassurance, only to have it come back even stronger.”
-Joe Carboni
“The inner voice and critic is less loud and has lost some power.”
-MDF209
“ERP makes you become a much more resilient person! Facing your fears is such hard work, but when you keep up with it, those fears don’t have much power over you anymore. And you don’t have as much of a fear response when new intrusive thoughts/feelings/urges/images come up!”
-Haley Defreitas
“Dealing with a problem head-on instead of finding ways to rationalize something and avoid it under the guise of working with it.”
-Nalastonewood
“ERP provides a structured and targeted approach to my intrusive thoughts and a gradual, effective approach to stopping compulsions. It counters the smoke and mirrors of OCD’s entanglement with the simple, grounded wisdom of facing your fears and learning you can handle discomfort.”
-matthewtc
“Understanding and acceptance of triggers, even if they sound like something someone can easily move on from.”
-gixmo
“It addresses the anxiety/scary feeling part.”
-Hopeful58
“Lasting results.”
-Wolfram
How you can get started with ERP therapy
As these experiences from the NOCD Community show, ERP therapy offers something uniquely powerful: tools that can help you build a fundamentally different relationship with intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
The benefits of these tools can help you better manage OCD symptoms, but they can also extend beyond that—many people find that the skills they learn in ERP help them manage co-occurring anxiety and depression, as well as handle other life challenges with greater confidence.
If you have (or think you have) OCD and are considering ERP therapy, our team at NOCD can answer any questions you have, match you with a licensed therapist specializing in ERP, and help you get started with your treatment journey on a free 15-minute call.
Every NOCD Therapist goes through extensive specialized training in OCD and ERP, so they understand even the hardest-to-talk-about symptoms and know how to help. They’ll work with you in convenient virtual therapy sessions and help you build skills for managing OCD in your daily life.
You’ll also have access to powerful in-app support between therapy sessions, when it matters most, with features including expert-developed therapy tools, live support groups, and the world’s largest OCD community.
Book a free 15-minute call with our team to learn more about getting matched with a NOCD Therapist and starting treatment that can help you reclaim your life from OCD.