What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and how can it help me?
Exposure and Response Prevention is a structured therapy approach that helps people face the things that trigger their anxiety without falling back on the habits or behaviors they usually use to feel better—like avoiding situations, seeking reassurance, or performing rituals. Over time, this helps retrain the brain to react with less fear, reducing anxiety and breaking the cycle of compulsive behaviors.

This approach is especially helpful for people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), phobias, or other anxiety-related issues, where fear and avoidance are keeping them stuck.

What does a session look like?
In ERP therapy, you’ll start by learning how anxiety works and why facing fears directly—without doing the usual “fixing” behaviors—actually helps in the long run. Together with your therapist, you’ll build a list of situations that cause anxiety, from the easiest to the hardest.

In sessions, you might practice gentle exposure to something on that list (like touching a doorknob or resisting the urge to check something repeatedly) while your therapist supports you in managing the anxiety that comes up. You’ll also learn ways to stay present in your body and ride out distress without reacting to it.

How does it help?

• You gradually become less afraid of the thoughts, images, or situations that once caused intense anxiety.

• You learn to resist urges to engage in compulsions or avoidance, which weakens those patterns over time.

• You build confidence in your ability to tolerate discomfort without needing to “fix” it right away.

• You begin to notice that anxiety can rise and fall on its own—and that you’re capable of getting through it.

ERP helps you face what you fear and stop the cycle of anxiety and compulsions. It doesn’t mean the fear disappears overnight—but with support and practice, it becomes manageable. You learn that you can tolerate discomfort, trust yourself, and move through anxiety instead of around it.