How to Build an ERP Hierarchy for OCD — And Why Most People Do It Wrong

If you've been trying ERP for OCD and feel like you're spinning your wheels, there's a good chance your exposure hierarchy is missing something critical. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW walks you through how a traditional ERP hierarchy works — and, more importantly, the key shifts that actually create lasting recovery.

Whether you're dealing with contamination OCD, relationship OCD (ROCD), harm OCD, or any other theme, this framework applies. If you've felt frustrated with traditional ERP, this episode will give you a new way of understanding and applying it.

What You'll Learn:

✅Understand what an ERP hierarchy is and how it's traditionally structured

✅Learn why response prevention is more important than the exposure itself

✅ See why doing exposures while ruminating is not real ERP

✅ Understand the two critical steps Matt recommends before adding intentional exposures

✅Learn how to reframe fear as something within you — not outside you — for deeper healing

✅ See why over-tracking and extreme exposures are often counterproductive

✅ Understand why working with a guide helps you spot compulsions you can't see yourself

🚀 Resources to Help You Heal:

📥 FREE Recovery Guide

Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance.

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📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck

Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and reclaim your life.

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📘 Taking Back Control (TBC) ProgramLearn how to apply these principles daily and dissolve anxiety at the root.

👉 Apply Now: https://www.restoredminds.com/tbc

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 — What This Episode Is About: Building an ERP Hierarchy

00:20 — What a Traditional ERP Hierarchy Looks Like

01:15 — Understanding the SUDS Scale

02:50 — Why Consistency Matters More Than One Big Exposure

03:20 — The Real Problem: Doing Exposures Without Removing Compulsions

05:30 — Step 2: Reframing Fear as Something Within You

08:00 — How Pride Keeps People Stuck