What is Exposure Therapy?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the form of exposure therapy we use at Lionheart. ERP is a structured approach designed to help you learn new ways of responding to anxiety. Instead of trying to get rid of anxiety, we gradually face the situations it has been keeping you from and practice staying present without falling into avoidance or compulsions.
Exposure means intentionally doing things that feel uncomfortable or bring up anxiety
Response Prevention means not relying on the usual ways we try to reduce anxiety
*when we rely on those usual responses (safety behaviors), it teaches our brain that they were the only reason we got through the moment.
Grounded in core principles from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), ERP recognizes that anxiety is a normal part of life, even if that can be difficult to accept. Many people come in asking, “How do I get rid of my anxiety?” Because anxiety exists to protect us from harm, the goal isn’t to eliminate it, but to change how much it controls you. ERP focuses on behavior, because that is something we can choose.
How Exposure Therapy Helps:
Exposure therapy helps your brain learn, through experience, that discomfort is not the same as danger. By gradually facing anxiety and changing how you respond to it, your brain begins to update how it interprets those situations.
Over time, anxiety feels less overwhelming and less controlling. You build confidence in your ability to handle discomfort, and it becomes easier to step back into the parts of life anxiety has been limiting.
Types of Exposures:
In-vivo exposures:
Directly facing situations in your daily life that bring up anxiety.
Imaginal exposures:
Practicing sitting with feared thoughts or scenarios by intentionally bringing them to the mind or writing about them, so they become easier to tolerate over time.
Interoceptive exposures:
Gently bringing on physical sensations of anxiety (like a racing heart, shallow breathing) to learn they’re safe and manageable.
Getting Started:
Beginning exposure therapy can feel intimidating. At Lionheart, the process is collaborative, gradual, and designed to help you move forward at a pace that feels manageable.
What the first steps look like:
Step 1: Consultation
We connect briefly to see if exposure therapy feels like a good fit.
Step 2: Understanding the pattern
In the first session, we explore how anxiety has been showing up and the ways it may be limiting your life.
Step 3: Building an exposure plan
Together we create a gradual plan to face fears in manageable steps.
Step 4: Practicing new responses
Through exposure therapy, we practice responding to anxiety in new ways– helping you build confidence through real experiences.