Exposure and Response Prevention(ERP) Therapy for OCD in NYC
and Throughout NY State
You may find yourself checking, seeking reassurance, avoiding certain situations/places, having to repeat behaviors or mentally review things over and over again. Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), can feel extremely isolating and make you feel like you have to respond with urgency to every intrusive thought/image in order to feel any sort of relief. Unfortunately, the relief you feel is temporary and only keeps the feedback loop going.
ERP therapy teaches you how to gradually face the very thoughts/feelings and situations that OCD tells you to avoid, while learning that you can and are able to tolerate the associated doubt, anxiety and uncertainty that comes up without having to engage in any compulsions
Does this feel familiar?
You feel …like you’re world has grown increasingly smaller because of your OCD?
No matter what you do…you cannot turn your mind off?
You want …to learn a different way of approaching the very things your OCD tells you to avoid or to do.
You’re tired…of not being able to trust yourself and not feel at peace in your own body.
In our work together, we will help you face the very things OCD and Anxiety are telling you to avoid or fear without seeking reassurance so that you can learn to trust yourself!
I know you’re tired of feeling…
like you have to respond to every intrusive thought with urgency for fear of something bad happening. You’re tired of doubting everything and not being able to feel like you can trust yourself fully. You’re tired of never feeling at peace in your body or being able to “shut off” your mind. You’re exhausted by your own need for perfectionism.
What is ERP?
ERP is defined as “a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that breaks the cycle of OCD through two components:
Exposure: Safely confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that trigger your fears, obsessions, or anxiety.
Response Prevention: Choosing to consciously resist and refrain from engaging in compulsive behaviors or rituals after the triggers occur.” International OCD Foundation
ERP works by rewiring the brain by repeatedly facing the very triggers without performing rituals. It teaches the brain that feared outcomes are unlikely to happen, which reduces the power of OCD over time. ERP is evidence-based and is the first line treatment for OCD.
My Approach to ERP Therapy in NYC
In our work together, we will gradually and intentionally approach the thoughts, fears, uncertainties and sensations that trigger your OCD and practice not responding with reassurance or compulsive behavior.
You can learn that you no longer need to avoid the situations/things that bring up anxiety and fear. You’ll learn to be able to accept and tolerate the distress and anxiety that comes up, weakening the OCD feedback loop. You’ll be able to sit with uncertainty and doubt and not respond in the same ways that are keeping you stuck.
This is a collaborative process, where we check in regularly and go at your own pace. I use ERP in conjunction with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT) and Mindfulness meditation and have found this to be the most effective. We will customize treatment to fit your specific needs.
How to get started!
Step One
Schedule your complimentary 15-20 minute consultation call by clicking here!
Step Two
If we both agree my practice is a good fit, then we will schedule an initial intake session.
Step Three
Start healing!
Your Questions Answered
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In our sessions, we will fist talk through which OCD themes are coming up for you. We will then discuss ways to intentionally face the things that OCD is telling you to fear, avoid and then respond without the normal “safety behaviors'‘ (like asking for reassurance or mental compulsion like engaging in rumination). We will start first with the fears or anxieties that cause you the least amount of distress and work our way up to the ones that cause you the greatest amount of distress. We will do so gently, and at a pace that feels most comfortable to you and we will check in regularly as to how it is all going for you. Overtime, ERP teaches you that you do not need to respond to OCD with urgency. ERP teaches you that you can tolerate doubt and uncertainty.
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No, I have personally found in my practice over the last 22 years, that integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness meditation practices in addition to ERP to be the most helpful. I believe in customizing treatment to fit your individual needs.
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Yes, it can be applied to a variety of Anxiety Disorders, such as specific phobias, Social Anxiety, and Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia.
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Yes, you will be asked to perform exposures outside of session in your daily life. This may take the form of specific behaviors you intentionally engage in, or script writing, or refraining from asking for reassurance.
Reach out to Angela DiManno, LCSW, PLLC in NYC, & NY State today!
Let’s work together to… reclaim your life!