“To resist a compulsion with willpower alone is to hold back an avalanche by melting the snow with a candle.”
David Adam (The Man Who Couldn't Stop)
ERP breaks the cycle of fear and compulsions by retraining your brain.
It has two main parts:
Exposure: You safely face thoughts, images, or situations that trigger your anxiety.
Response Prevention: You choose not to perform your usual safety rituals or avoidance behaviors.
Over time, your brain learns that you can handle the distress and that feared outcomes rarely happen.
Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)
We will follow a clear, steady path towards recovery:
Assessment: Identify your specific triggers, obsessions, and compulsions.
Hierarchy Building: You make a ranked list of triggers, starting from least to most scary.
Gradual Practice: You start with small challenges and move up to harder ones.
Homework: You practice these skills in your daily life between sessions.