Call: 612-875-1890
Call: 612-875-1890
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ERP Treatment St. Paul

Break Free From OCD

Stop letting intrusive thoughts and compulsions control your life. Our specialized ERP treatment helps you face your fears safely and build lasting freedom from anxiety.
Request A Free Consultation
Call: 612-875-1890

Gold Standard Treatment

Specialized OCD Training

Personalized Treatment Plans

St. Paul Community Focus

Exposure Response Prevention Therapy

The Treatment That Actually Works

Exposure and Response Prevention is the gold standard treatment for OCD and anxiety disorders. This evidence-based approach helps you gradually face your fears in a safe, controlled environment while learning to resist compulsive behaviors. Unlike other therapies that focus on managing symptoms, ERP targets the root of the problem. You’ll work with our specialized therapists to break the cycle of obsessions and compulsions that have been controlling your life.

Exposure Hierarchy Ladder Process

How We Face Fears Safely

We don’t throw you into the deep end. Our exposure hierarchy ladder approach starts with situations that cause mild anxiety and gradually works up to your most challenging fears. You’re in control every step of the way. This systematic approach ensures you build confidence and skills before tackling more difficult exposures. Each step teaches your brain that the feared outcome won’t actually happen, naturally reducing your anxiety over time. The fear extinction process happens gradually, making treatment manageable and effective.

ERP Treatment Benefits Minnesota

What You'll Gain From Treatment

Real freedom from the thoughts and behaviors that have been stealing your time, energy, and peace of mind.
  • You'll stop avoiding situations that trigger your anxiety and start living fully again.
  • Intrusive thoughts will lose their power over you as you learn they're just thoughts.
  • You'll break free from time-consuming compulsions that have been controlling your daily routine.
  • Your relationships will improve as OCD stops interfering with your connections to others.
  • You'll gain confidence in your ability to handle uncertainty without needing to perform rituals.
  • Most people see significant improvement within 12 sessions, with lasting results that endure long-term.

Anxiety Habituation Process

Breaking the Anxiety Cycle

During ERP sessions, you’ll experience something called anxiety habituation. When you stay in a feared situation without performing compulsions, your anxiety naturally decreases on its own. This teaches your brain that the situation is actually safe. We help you identify and eliminate safety behaviors that maintain your fears. These subtle avoidance strategies might seem helpful, but they actually prevent you from learning that you can handle uncertainty. Through repeated exposure without these safety behaviors, lasting change occurs.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Support is here. Our counselors provide a safe space to talk, heal, and move forward—at your pace.

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Call: 612-875-1890

Common questions about Erp Treatment

ERP is the opposite of flooding therapy. While flooding exposes you to your worst fears immediately, ERP takes a gradual, systematic approach. We start with exposures that cause mild anxiety and slowly work up your hierarchy as you build confidence and skills. This makes treatment much more manageable and sustainable. You maintain control throughout the process, choosing which exposures you’re ready to tackle. This graded exposure approach has proven more effective and comfortable for most people than the intense flooding method.
Fear extinction is the natural process where your brain learns that feared situations are actually safe. When you stay in an anxiety-provoking situation without performing compulsions, your anxiety will naturally peak and then decrease on its own. This teaches your brain that the feared outcome doesn’t actually happen. With repeated exposures, this new learning becomes stronger than your original fear memory. The extinction process is permanent – once your brain learns the situation is safe, that learning stays with you long-term.
Safety behaviors are subtle things you do to feel safer during feared situations, but they actually maintain your anxiety. Examples include carrying hand sanitizer “just in case,” checking your phone to distract yourself, or asking for reassurance. We’ll work together to identify your unique safety behaviors during our assessment. Then, during exposures, we’ll gradually eliminate these behaviors so you can learn that you’re safe without them. This is crucial for lasting recovery – safety behaviors prevent your brain from learning that situations are actually safe.
Many people have attempted exposures on their own or with therapists not specialized in ERP. The difference is in the systematic approach and specialized training. We ensure exposures are done correctly – at the right intensity, for the right duration, and without safety behaviors that undermine progress. We also help you stay in the situation long enough for anxiety habituation to occur. Our therapists have extensive specialized training in ERP techniques that many general therapists don’t possess. The key is having proper guidance through the process.
Most people see significant improvement within 12-20 sessions, though this varies based on individual factors. Some notice changes within the first few sessions, while others need more time to build skills. The key is consistency – attending regular sessions and completing between-session practice assignments. We track your progress throughout treatment and adjust the pace based on your needs. Many people maintain their gains for years after completing treatment, as ERP teaches you skills you can use for life whenever anxiety tries to creep back in.
Absolutely. While ERP was originally developed for OCD, it’s highly effective for most anxiety-related disorders including panic disorder, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific phobias. The same principles apply – gradually facing feared situations while resisting avoidance behaviors. For PTSD, we use a variant called prolonged exposure that follows similar principles. The key is that any condition involving avoidance and fear can benefit from exposure-based treatment. We’ll adapt the approach to fit your specific anxiety disorder and symptoms.
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