So whats the whole ERP deal.

ERP is Exposure Response Therapy aka only way proven to kick OCD in the ass. During ERP you are exposed to what you fear without ritualizing/neutralizing.

Ritualizing/Neutralizing-intentional thoughts that calm you down and lowers your anxiety

For example.

Thought1:What if I had sex with my son?

You might start thinking"no i didn\’t, I would never do that"—>That\’s ritualizing. Anything to do with searching, reassuring, lowering your anxiety/guilty/remorse/whatsoever is ritualizing.

During ERP, you would tell yourself "I might had sex with my son" without ritualizing.This sounds absolutely ridiculous but it works. Your anxiety would go skyhigh and you have to sit with that anxiety. Your anxiety would sooner or later lowers. That\’s when your brain habituates, meaning your mind recognize that thought is no longer a threat so anxiety would go down on its own naturally.

Why this works?

Ok imagine you are very afraid of rats. I throw you in a room full of rats for 1 day. By the end of the day, you would not be scared of rats, or at least as much.

You may think, but rats and handwashing are two different things.

Yes and No, but it all comes down to fear and inorder to get rid of fear, you face them.

During ERP, your Suds will go high. Suds =Subjective Units of Distress scale. Basically, your stress/anxiety level. It will go so high that you may cry. But it\’s ok. You are letting your brain experiencing the fear while at the same time allowing it to realized that it\’s not worth fearing. The Suds would go down in about an hour, depending on each idividual.

Would my obsession be gone after 1 erp.

NO, in fact you have to do it daily. You do not have OCD overnight, you will not be able to get rid them overnight either.

ERP will suck intially when you do it but stick with it!!!!!

RP would not discrimate

From

1)Handwashing

2)doubting your boyfriend\’s love

3)hoarding

4) counting leaves

5) whatever

if you have an obsessions and you riualize, it\’s ocd, and ERP CAN HELP