Exposure (and Response Prevention) Therapy
The treatment deemed compatible for OCD, Anxiety, Phobias, and Trauma is known as Exposure (and Response Prevention) Therapy which is a derivative of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). ERP/ET seeks to achieve neural desensitization via proactive deconstruction of the OCD/Anxiety/Phobia/Trauma trajectory. Patients are required to deliberately antagonize their anxiety and thwart the impetus to implement a control mechanism. Ultimately, habituation is accomplished and the sufferer is relieved of incapacitating anxiety. ERP is tremendously effective and considered to be the “Gold Standard” of treatment for OCD (Hyman & Pedrick, 2005). Exposure Therapy (for Non-Specific Anxiety Disorders, Phobias, and Trauma) is equally as effective as ERP.
How ERP/ET Works
First, the Clinician collaborates with the Client to comprise an inventory of symptoms. Next, Client and Clinician develop an “Exposure Hierarchy,” in which triggers are ranked from least intense to most intense. The Client begins the therapeutic process at the bottom of the hierarchy and progresses to the most vexing trigger, achieving desensitization along the way. The Exposure and Response Prevention/Exposure Therapy procedure requires that the Client provoke his or her anxiety and endure the subsequent distress. After multiple repetitions, new neuropathways begin to form; the intrusive/automatic thought fails to arouse anxiety, and the desire to partake in a control mechanism is extinguished. Progressive desensitization - via Exposure Hierarchies - allows the Client to accumulate the habituation necessary to confront his or her most debilitating symptoms. The Clinician assists the Client in the implementation of ERP/ET in the contexts in which the symptoms manifest. This approach is designed to enhance the authenticity of treatment and optimize rehabilitation. The Client will also acquire the tools and skills necessary to perform Exposure and Response Prevention/Exposure Therapy autonomously, and thus secure the means prudent to maintain functionality after the completion of treatment.
