Exposure Therapy

At the heart of exposure therapy is the ability to break-down challenges, approaching the challenge in one bite-size chunk at a time. It has reliably been shown to be a central element of many forms of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have received extensive training in the implementation of exposure therapies across multiple conditions, including anxiety disorders and PTSD.

When we feel anxious, we often avoid the things that make us feel anxious. This seems so logical, but really, this doesn't help us. In the long run, when we avoid the things that make us feel anxious, we're actually teaching ourselves that we cannot handle these things. Depending on who I'm working with, I may use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which is considered the gold standard for OCD.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Since 2019, a specialty of mine has been using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help teens and adults who struggle with anxiety, panic disorder, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). When you are able to use exposure in a therapeutic way, it become a powerful tool to help you break free of fear and live the life you desire.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) used to treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It involves gradually exposing the patient to the source of their anxiety while encouraging them to resist the urge to engage in compulsive behaviors. This helps the patient to learn to cope with the anxiety and eventually break the patterns of OCD. I usually do ERP in combination with other forms of CBT, such as cognitive restructuring and relaxation.

Exposure therapy is a type of psychological treatment that helps individuals confront and overcome their fears or anxieties. The basic idea behind exposure therapy is to gradually expose a person to the source of their fear in a safe and controlled environment. This process is designed to help them build confidence and reduce their emotional response to the feared object or situation. It is effective for treating various anxiety disorders, phobias, PTSD and OCD.

Exposure and Response Prevention is a difficult therapy that is excellent at supporting individuals with OCD to slow the obsession/ compulsion cycle.

Particularly for OCD, Exposure and Response Prevention is the gold standard of care. ERP involves identification and rating fears associated with repetitive thoughts and obsessive behaviors or thoughts to neutralize the fears. Then, systemically and with great care and support, exposure treatment involves graded work on neutralizing the anxiety that arises when approaching rather than avoiding the feared stimulus.

One of the most powerful ways we learn is by experience. People with high anxiety, phobias, and trauma had experiences that made them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Another powerful way we learn is through repetition, so when one has repeated negative experiences it can be hard to break the anxiety cycle/spiral even if one understands it cognitively. What this type of therapy does is break that loop by re-training the body as well as the mind, building confidence in each.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an evidence-based behavior therapy technique that is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD. ERP involves exposing oneself to situations that provoke obsessions (exposure) without performing the ritual or compulsion (response prevention). This process allows the brain to reach a point of habituation, decreasing anxiety. It is essential to do ERP with a trained professional. I have successfully treated clients using ERP for many years.

I have several years of experience and training in exposure therapy. I have successfully utilize this approach to support my clientele struggling with fears of vomit, snakes/spiders, socializing with peers, natural distasters, etc. While utilizing this approach, I have found that my clientele finish therapy feeling more confident, capable, and no longer in distress with the once feared stimuli.

I was lucky enough to be trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in my first year of practice. Whether you are experiencing a new anxiety or an old phobia, we will work together to slowly learn how you can experience freedom from the overwhelming fears that keep you from living the life you want to live.

I have over 20 years' experience successfully working with clients using exposure. I have used this approach in treating a wide range of anxiety concerns (e.g., social phobia, panic, health anxiety, claustrophobia) as well as post-traumatic stress. I keep current on developments in exposure therapy through reading, professional conference attendance, and participation in continuing education seminars. I have also published research examining use of exposure in treating post-traumatic stress.

I utilize exposure-based methods to treat many anxiety and fear-based symptoms including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and phobias. I will teach you how to approach your fear in such a way that it subsides quickly and allows you to build mastery over it. These techniques are among the most reliable and effective we have. Most clients are amazed at how effectively and efficiently these methods work for them.

Exposure therapy is an approachable, evidence-based practice to address and rapidly improve symptoms of anxiety, phobia, and panic. Clients who complete their exposure-based treatment tend to experience relief, pride, and improved self-esteem.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Since 2019, a specialty of mine has been using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help teens and adults who struggle with anxiety, panic disorder, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). When you are able to use exposure in a therapeutic way, it becomes a powerful tool to help you break free of fear, and live the life you desire.

Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) is the gold standard for treating OCD. ERP works by training your brain to allow obsessive thoughts to come and go without the need for constantly managing them. People with OCD find themselves constantly having to avoid things or situations that may trigger obsessions or engage in compulsions/rituals to reduce their anxiety and distress. ERP takes courage and a willingness to confront your fears. While that may sound scary- it's worth it and works!

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) ERP is the primary treatment technique used and is the gold standard for OCD treatment. In ERP, we will guide you in a step-by-step process of exposing yourself to the thoughts and situations that are triggering your distress- without allowing a compulsion to stop the distress. Without the compulsive behaviors you will habituate to the distress and/or train the brain that the distress can be tolerated.

Exposure therapy is not all about doing scary things all of the time. It is about the balance of challenging your beliefs and resisting going back to those patterns. We see it as a normal part of the brain to go to safety measures to experience less pain. Experiencing less emotional, physical, or mental anguish, we all want to get away from those. In fact, our brain says it is a true danger to experience these things. Lastly, exposure therapy is nothing without the response prevention.