How to start Exposure and Response Prevention to help with ROCD
I recently found out I have ROCD. After researching and a few conversations with my therapist I've learned that exposure and response prevention is a good way to help the ocd tendency. I won't be able to see my therapist for a couple weeks and was looking to see if i could get any advice before my next session. I'm having a hard time understanding how to expose myself to the things that cause me to get stuck in a thought loop. An example is I avoid watching toxic behaviors or cheating in relationships within movies, shows or social media. I'll look away or avoid it all together due to it causing me to spiral into thoughts about that happening to me. To the point that i convince myself they are happening to me. Would exposure just be sitting through those scenes and not turning away? To my knowledge avoiding the thoughts is counterintuitive however im not sure where the line is between giving the thoughts attention and feeding into them. How would I practice exposure with things like getting worried when certain people message my partner? Not due to them being flirtatious or anything but due to it triggering the fear that something malicious is happening that im unaware of. It usually starts from something small and my thoughts go crazy until it seems like something impossible to figure out or solve. Its exhausting constantly obsessing and overthinking about the relationship and trying to fix or explain things that for the most part only exist in my mind. Its like no matter what I have to find something within the relationship to occupy my mind. I want to start working on it but am unsure on how to start especially since almost all my compulsions are thought loops, searching for "evidence" or reassurance seeking. Thank you in advance for any advice.
Posted Aug 12, 2025, 5:40 PM UTC