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Home › Light On Anxiety CBT Treatments › ERP for OCD

ERP for OCD

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for
OCD

You can learn and practice methods to help move through and past intrusive, anxiety provoking thoughts from a healthy, empowering stance.

Light On Anxiety offers Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy as an action-oriented treatment approach to OCD, intrusive or ego-dystonic thoughts, and other anxiety-related conditions. ERP for OCD involves gradually making contact with scary thoughts and training the brain to disengage from compulsions associated with those thoughts with the guidance of a wonderful LOA therapist.

Chat with a therapist today

What Are Intrusive, Obsessional Thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts, by definition, intrude upon your thinking, are startling and interrupt your current moment.

Often intrusive thoughts can show up in an attention grabbing, shocking form such as when they represent an ego dystonic concept.

An ego dystonic thought is in conflict with your values and life goals.

For example, if you are a teacher who strives to make the world better, through one meaningful educational interaction with a student at a time, and you may have the intrusive thought, “What if I lose control and stab my students?”. This would be an intrusive, ego dystonic thought because it is shockingly attention grabbing and is in direct conflict with who you are and how you choose to live your live.

OCD is desperate to grab you attention because it is terrified something bad will happen if you don’t stay alert and engage in certain behaviors (compulsions) to prevent the most awful, catastrophic event from occurring.  What OCD does not understand is that no matter how much it wants to protect you and maintain control, some times, no matter how hard we try to be careful, safe and good, bad things will still happen. 

Learning how to train your brain so you can live the life you want for yourself

Freedom from OCD entails teaching your brain it must give up the illusion of control it gets every time it engages in a compulsion and instead inject as much of your energy as possible into living a life that matters to YOU.  We will help you to live your best life, even if occasional scary thoughts and feelings come along for the ride. After all, a life well-lived is not measured in terms of what you think but instead in what you choose to do with the moments of your life.   

Learn more about ego dystonic thoughts and harm OCD.

Core Treatment Elements of Light On Anxiety’s ERP Based Treatment for OCD & Ego Dystonic Thoughts

  • Comprehensive evaluation
  • Development of customized ERP-based treatment plan
  • Mindfulness-based distress tolerance training
  • Ongoing communication with LOA providers
  • CBT-based treatment for co-occurring disorders such as depression and social anxiety
  • Relapse prevention through on-demand support

ERP for OCD & Ego Dystonic Thoughts Changes Lives

“I have really scary OCD thoughts and I thought something was wrong with me. Thanks to Light On Anxiety I understand OCD a lot better and know I don’t have to take my thoughts so seriously.”
Light On AnxietyClient
"You have helped me tremendously. I am getting my life back with confidence. You guys are amazing. If I ever meet someone struggling anxiety or OCD I will definitely refer them to you. Your intensive treatment for OCD Changed My Life."
Light On AnxietyClient
"You’ve seriously have helped me more in this short period of time than any other therapist has helped me in years. I am so grateful. Thanks to you, I have found so much peace. I still have the occasional obsessive thought in my head, but I am able to recognize it as only a thought, and let it go."
Light On AnxietyClient
"After treatment at Light On Anxiety, I could honestly say that my previously debilitating OCD is no longer controlling my life as it did before."
Light On AnxietyClient
"I have really scary OCD thoughts and I thought something was wrong with me. Thanks to Light On Anxiety I understand OCD a lot better and know I don’t have to take my thoughts so seriously. "
Light On Anxiety Client
"Two months ago I got married. That was something that prior to meeting with you, I never thought was possible for me. While I still have OCD moments, I feel so much better equipped to address them when these moments happen. I’m not sure how often you recognize the impact you have but I can say with 100% certainty that they made a tremendous impact on my life."
Light On AnxietyClient
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Do you frequently experience intrusive thoughts and anxiety?

Have you tried therapy in the past to address these symptoms and have not been satisfied with the progress you have made?

Reach out to schedule therapy today

Types of exposure techniques for ERP-based treatment

There are many different exposure techniques in ERP for helping manage and treating intrusive thoughts and OCD. Together, we can find the right treatment plan for you.

Visual Exposure

Reading or writing trigger words and stories associated with intrusive thoughts (ITs) or watching a video clip associated with an IT repeatedly for at least 2 minutes.

 

Auditory Exposure

Saying trigger words out loud repeatedly for at least 2 minutes. Create an audio file of a “scary story” associated with an IT, then listen to it on repeat for at least 2 minutes.


Proprioceptive Exposures

Engaging in a physical motion associated with an IT repeatedly for at least 2 minutes, or until anxiety level drops by half or more.

 

In Vivo Exposures

Exposing yourself to any situation or environment you are currently avoiding for fear it will bring on the IT, or that you will lose control and engage in feared behavior and spend time in that environment (without engaging in any safety behaviors or compulsions) until anxiety level drops by at least half.

 

Interoceptive Exposures

Interoceptive exposures bring on the sensations associated with feeling anxious to train your brain that the feelings of anxiety are uncomfortable but not dangerous (e.g. breathing through a straw to simulate the sensation of having trouble breathing). Your brain can learn it may not like feeling anxious and out of control, but it can handle these sensations.

Chat with a therapist to start ERP therapy for OCD and intrusive thoughts.

Get started today.

Break Free From Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are disturbing thoughts or images that appear out of nowhere and make it hard to go about your day, especially in tandem with other anxiety disorders. Break Free from Intrusive Thoughts is a sensitive, modern guide to developing a more accepting relationship with them so you can stop them from holding you back.

In this book you’ll learn how to manage and move past intrusive thoughts

  • The truth about intrusive thoughts―Learn what intrusive thoughts are, what causes them, and what they really mean.
  • Different recovery techniques―Explore a range of therapy techniques, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness.
  • Hands-on healing―Get unstuck from unhelpful thinking patterns through exercises like writing out your fears and labeling your emotions, so you can accept your intrusive thoughts and let them pass.
  • Learn how to call a truce with your intrusive thoughts and get back to your life

Get more details from our book “Break Free From Intrusive Thoughts.”

Order now

Resources for Ego Dystonic Thoughts & Harm OCD Light On Anxiety articles

How To Kick Intrusive Thought OCD Out of Your Life – Huff Post

How to stop intrusive thoughts – Light On Anxiety

Do Dark Thoughts Randomly Pop Into Your Head? – Light On Anxiety

Parenting while confronting your anxiety – Light On Anxiety

CBT Can Help Treat Harm/Pure O/Intrusive Thought OCD – Light On Anxiety

Dr. Kissen Offers Tips in Distinguishing Between OCD Versus Everyday Worries – Talk Space

OCD, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and More: What’s the Difference? – Discover Magazine

Compulsive no more: Clues to what causes compulsive behavior could improve OCD treatments – Light On Anxiety

The brain of OCD sufferers is more active when faced with a moral dilemma – Light On Anxiety

Explore more articles in our webzine archive of resources for Ego Dystonic Thoughts & Harm OCD.

“Sometimes I have moments where OCD tries to bring me down, but thankfully with my therapist I have the tools to manage it and know that recovery will continue to progress if I keep doing what I need to do to make OCD weaker.” – LOA Client

Break free from intrusive, ego-dystonic thoughts and in the process
learn how to live your best life.

Book a time at a Light On Anxiety location or schedule a virtual session.

LOA Lakeview

1438 W Belmont Ave. Chicago, IL 60657

312-508-3645

Schedule at Lakeview

LOA River North

311 W Superior Ste. 402. Chicago, IL 60654

312-584-2144

Schedule at River North

LOA Wilmette

3330 Old Glenview Rd. Ste 14. Wilmette, IL 60091

847-610-6763

Schedule at Wilmette

LOA Highland Park

1160 Park Avenue W, Unit 6E
Highland Park, IL 60035

847-241-1195

Schedule at Deerfield
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Light On Anxiety Treatment Centers

Lakeview
(312) 508-3645
1438 West Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657

River North
(312) 584-2144
311 W Superior St., Suite 402
Chicago, IL 60654

Highland Park
(847) 241-1195
1160 Park Avenue W., Suite 6E
Highland Park, IL 60035

Wilmette
(847) 610-6763
3330 Old Glenview Rd., Suite 14
Wilmette, IL 60091

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