Wiggins Counseling 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a behavioral therapy that consists of purposely confronting intrusive/unwanted thoughts, images, objects, urges, sensations, and situations that provoke intense distress/anxiety. The E in ERP refers to an Exposure which is a contrived exercise developed by the client and therapist that mimics the trigger(s) to an obsession(s). For example, someone struggling with contamination OCD may have difficulty touching certain items. An exposure exercise for this obsession would be to gradually work one’s way up to touching items they deem contaminated. The RP part of ERP refers to a skill called Response Prevention which is the act of resisting compulsive behaviors while developing a tolerance for the discomfort triggered by the exposure exercise.  Initially, you will work very closely with your therapist to guide you to learn and eventually develop your own ERP exercises. Although meeting with your therapist regularly is very important to the treatment, the magic happens between sessions when you practice ERP and develop an increased tolerance for what triggers your obsessions/anxiety. The process results in what can be described as “rewiring” your brain to where what was once extremely triggering becomes more tolerable and causes less interference in your life..