Finding the Edges of Your Comfort Zone: At-home ERP

Exposure Response Prevention is, quite simply, the art of finding the area just outside your comfort zone and pushing yourself to spend a little time there.  

Many clients come into OCD therapy afraid that their therapist will push them quickly into their fears.  Most skillful exposure therapists are aware that flooding clients is going to ultimately hurt compliance with treatment.  Furthermore, it can be traumatic for a client to get pushed too far outside their comfort zone and might actually cause an individual to regress back into their fears.  

Instead, ERP therapy encourages us to take baby steps outside of the narrow (and narrowing with time!) perimeter that OCD has drawn around one’s life.  

This first little move outside of the comfort zone looks different for each person, but it should be something that brings confidence and joy! When we challenge ourselves just a little, we can actually feel a sense of accomplishment that outweighs the trepidation.  

Finding the edges of our comfort zone can be a useful exercise for which to enlist a longtime friend.  Together, brainstorm mini challenges that slightly break the rules of OCD.  Having a partner, ERP coach, or friend actually execute the tasks with us can make it easier.  An exposure can be as simple as ruffling up a perfectly made bed and leaving it like that.  

Doing an exposure in a realm doesn’t mean that we never go back to our previous habits, but rather teaches our brain that this habit is a choice, not a must.  

Contact Kairos Wellness Collective today to learn more about Exposure Response Prevention and Exposure Coaching.