How Therapy Helps: Understanding ERP (and What Actually Supports Change)
If you’ve ever felt trapped in your own mind — by intrusive thoughts, constant doubt, or rituals that feel impossible to stop — you’re not alone. And no, you’re not “crazy,” broken, or attention-seeking.
You're likely living with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) — and it’s a lot more misunderstood than most people realize.
What OCD Isn’t
OCD isn’t just about being “super clean” or needing your bookshelf color-coded. That’s the stereotype. Real OCD often looks like:
“What if I snapped and hurt someone I love?”
“Did I actually do that terrible thing and forget?”
“I need to check one more time... just to be sure.”
These are called intrusive thoughts — unwanted, distressing thoughts that feel completely out of alignment with your values. (That’s why they hurt so much.) People with OCD usually feel ashamed of their thoughts — not empowered by them.
The OCD Cycle
OCD creates a painful loop:
A scary or uncomfortable thought pops up
You feel intense anxiety or shame
You try to “fix” it through a compulsion (checking, asking for reassurance, replaying events, avoiding things)
You feel a little relief — until the thought returns
The cycle starts all over again
It’s relentless. OCD targets what matters most to you — your values, your safety, your relationships — and convinces you that you must do something to make the anxiety go away.
How Therapy Helps: ERP
The gold standard treatment for OCD is called ERP — Exposure and Response Prevention. And yeah, that can sound intimidating, but I promise: it’s about building self-trust and freedom, not pushing you into anything before you’re ready.
ERP helps by gradually exposing you to the thoughts, situations, or feelings you usually avoid — while teaching your brain that you don’t have to engage in compulsions to be safe or okay.
For example:
If you usually ask for constant reassurance after a distressing thought, we practice sitting with the thought and riding the wave of discomfort — together.
If you check the stove multiple times before leaving the house, we slowly reduce that checking, while helping your nervous system learn it can handle the uncertainty.
ERP works best when it’s collaborative, consent-based, and trauma-informed. Those principles also guide how I support clients with OCD more broadly, whether or not ERP is part of their treatment.
Why I Trained in This
I chose training in ERP with Thrive OCD, a program created by therapists who also live with OCD. I wanted to deeply understand OCD, intrusive thoughts, and the exposure-based models that are often recommended, so I could better support clients navigating this diagnosis.
While ERP is not a primary modality I currently offer, being trained in it allows me to:
accurately assess OCD patterns and compulsions
help clients understand whether ERP feels like the right next step
support clients emotionally and relationally while they engage in ERP elsewhere
collaborate with ERP providers when clients choose adjunct care
My role is often to work from a broader, trauma-informed and identity-aware lens — helping clients build capacity, self-trust, and context around their OCD, rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re starting to learn about OCD and how treatment actually works, I created my own OCD + ERP Guide to walk you through the basics. It breaks down what OCD really is, why intrusive thoughts feel so intense, and how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps you build confidence instead of relying on compulsions. IIt’s meant to help you learn, reflect, and prepare — whether you’re considering ERP, working with an ERP provider, or simply trying to understand your OCD more clearly.
🖤 Download the Not Another Therapist OCD + ERP Guide
If you’re ready to go deeper into identifying your compulsions or creating an exposure plan, I also recommend the OCD and ERP Starter Pack from Thrive OCD. It’s a free, therapist-created handout with detailed explanations, a compulsion checklist, and hierarchy worksheets to help you start understanding your patterns and practice ERP more effectively. You can download it here or ask me about it in session and we can explore parts of it together.
You're Not Broken. You're Just Caught in a Loop.
And loops can be broken.
If this feels like your story, and you’re looking for support from someone who understands OCD and can help you navigate next steps with clarity and care — let’s talk.
Reach out here: https://www.notanothertherapist.com/contact
