Julie Schultheis, LPC
ANXIETY & OCD SPECIALIST
Walk The Talk, LLC
Exposure Therapy
Exposure to avoided situations is the most effective way to overcome fear and discomfort. When we are uncomfortable in a situation in which there is no actual danger (for example, giving a speech), our discomfort declines over time as a natural process called habituation. Initially we are very uncomfortable in the situation, but this discomfort gradually decreases over time until we can be in the situation or do the activity without discomfort.
It is like being in a swimming pool of cold water, if you stay in the water long enough your physiology adjusts and the water no longer feels cold and uncomfortable even though the temperature of the water hasn't changed.
This therapy is done gently and systematically addressing the "easier" fears first then progressing to the more difficult situations. We work our way creatively through the process ONE STEP AT A TIME and at your pace.
Exposure Therapy is effective in treating anxiety-based disorders such as Panic Attacks, PTSD, Phobias, Social Anxiety, and Agoraphobia.
A special kind of CBT designed to treat OCD
EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION (ERP)
Most clients that have come to me with OCD believe that they are or will soon be "going crazy". The obsessions are so irrational and at times shameful to them that they are fearful of telling others. ERP helps clients realize that they are not crazy and they do not have to endure a lifetime of performing these behaviors. They can learn to tolerate the obsessions, desensitize themselves to the anxiety and then be free to choose the behavior they would like to be doing instead of automatically performing the compulsion. It takes knowledge, courage and repeated exposure to break free from the compulsions.
However, once a person successfully conquers one compulsion, it gives them the the confidence and motivation to take their lives back from OCD. They begin to see how different life can be when OCD symptoms are effectively managed. Initially when you attempt to stop doing a compulsion (like avoiding stepping on cracks) you will feel very distressed - like "something bad is about to happen" (anxiety) but as you repeatedly expose yourself to stepping on cracks you'll habituate.