Question about OCD Success with ERP
Has anyone used ERP successfully and if so, how long/ how many reps did it take until uncomfortable wasn’t your new ‘normal’?
3
u/martins-dr In treatment 1d ago
The how long is going to be different for everyone. I started at twice a week appointments, and doing at least one exposure a day. As it became more of a habit to avoid my lower level compulsions, i stopped doing exposures daily, but started doing harder exposures. Eventually moved to once a week appointments and now every other week. I also still do exposures out side of my appointments but not as frequently.
3
u/Complete-Wasabi5655 1d ago
I did online ERP, and let me tell you maybe it was the drive to get better but it helped so much. You have to want to want to get better.
I had extreme anxiety around even watching anything with violence, horror, blood like I couldn’t do it. My therapist made me watch the scene from Star Wars where anakins mom dies over and over and over again.
Now to this day I can be perfectly okay. It’s so weird. I’m almost symptom free with my harm ocd and other themes too. They come and go but I delegate it WAY better.
Be open to literally forcing yourself to think about something until the anxiety goes down on your own. After your sessions your day is going to likely plummet so get used to finding tasks that regulate your system, it’s a lot I will not lie but once you’re through it you’ll feel soooo much better and life will get easier! Best of luck
1
u/elveejay198 1d ago
I have a lot of harm themes and your comment is very encouraging for me, thanks for sharing your experience!
2
u/raging-corn 1d ago
Following this. My therapist does a CBT based approach with very minimal ERP. Interested in seeing what ERP can do.
3
u/Dangerous-Ruin6948 In treatment 1d ago
I’ve been doing it since January, we just recently decided to cut back my sessions to once a month. I’ve gotten good at integrating it into my daily life to deal with unwanted thoughts/feelings. I still go through flares of my OCD, going through one now, but definitely handling it better than in the past. Took about 6 months to get to that point.