ERP is a core component of which therapy approach?

• A. Psychoanalytic therapy
• B. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• C. Pharmacotherapy only
• D. Electroconvulsive therapy

Answer: (B)

Exposure and response prevention is a central technique in cognitive-behavioral therapy. In ERP, a person is gradually exposed to triggers of obsessive thoughts and is guided to refrain from the usual compulsive responses. Through repeated exposure, anxiety diminishes with habituation, and the urge to ritualize weakens because the feared outcome does not materialize as expected. This helps break the cycle of obsessions and compulsions seen in OCD. It’s distinct from psychoanalytic therapy, which focuses on unconscious conflicts, and it’s not pharmacotherapy or electroconvulsive therapy, which are medication-based or biomedical treatments. So ERP sits within cognitive-behavioral therapy as a key behavioral strategy.