How to write an exposure script for OCD

"Exposure Therapy, in a phrase, is the systematic and intentional triggering of fear while minimizing- and ideally eliminating- all pathological responses.  Imaginal Exposure accomplishes this with thoughts and ideas. It is done in the context of addressing unhelpful/pathological responses to fear." The first thing we do besides offering good education is gaining a strong assessment data- it must underlie good exposure.  Know what you’re working with.  Make a list of your obsessions or bothersome thoughts.  See a specialist.  Get educated.  Get to know your symptoms, your motivations for getting better, and start a running log (monitoring) daily.  Once you have a tally of key examples, placing them on a hierarchy really helps to get a road map and be realistic and also to monitor progress (like the one above for arachnophobia). Once you’ve got your hierarchy, we consider conceptualizing the core fear behind an uncomfortable thought or action.  Start simple; don’t overthink it. Once a person can tolerate facing their fear at a lower level with scripting (or exposure in general), they can then move up the hierarchy and face higher and higher ones. Don't worry if you run into issues- that's what specialists are for!  But also don't hold out from facing fears that you have a good reason to face.

For worksheets to create an exposure script. Use my online OCD course. www.OCDandAnxietyOnline.com

Script exposures for OCD

Exposure story for OCD