Exposure Therapies for Anxiety Disorders

Exposure therapies for anxiety disorders involve intentionally exposing yourself to distressing thoughts, images, items, or situations that make you anxious in a planned and intentional way. The goal is to expose you to the anxiety-inducing experience, while preventing your typical response, including avoidance behaviors and compulsions. This process allows you to learn something different, rather than reinforce your existing fears and obsessions. ERP can be helpful for individuals with diagnoses of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and other anxiety-related disorders.

When you decide to engage in ERP treatment, you will work with your therapist to assess your anxiety and/or obsessions and compulsions, set goals, and create an exposure list. Your therapist will also make sure you understand the cycle of anxiety, and how ERP works. You will always be in the driver’s seat, choosing which topics to focus on, and at a pace that feels manageable for you. A core component of ERP is practice in between sessions, and we will help support you in doing so in a way that feels challenging, but not overwhelming.

The ultimate goal of ERP is that you will be able to engage in valued activities in your life, without compulsions or anxiety getting in the way.

In the short video below, DASC clinicians Lauren Neaman, ACT, Psy.D. and Dani Walsh, MA, LCSW share more about ERP.