Inhibitory Learning VS Habituation

[Hannahzid]

Hi, everyone! I am currently in therapy for my OCD and I have been in and out of treatment for years. My current ERP therapist emphasizes the difference between inhibitory learning and habituation and it has helped me immensely so I thought I would share!

Inhibitory learning focuses on learning how to tolerate the distress your obsessive thoughts/triggers cause you. Habituation is the idea that triggers will become less "triggering" the more you expose yourself to them.

I have always felt like I was failing at ERP because there are certain exposures I have been unable to habituate to and certain situations/thoughts that cause me a severe amount of distress no matter how many exposures I do.

Now that I have embraced inhibitory learning and have shifted focus on TOLERATING the anxiety, instead of waiting for it to go away, I have been able to make much more progress in my treatment and I feel better about my recovery overall. I consider full habituation to certain triggers to be a huge bonus, but not a requirement for me to feel in control of my OCD.

[alexandraisobsessed IOCDF Advocate]

Oh this is interesting. I feel like I fail when I don’t habituate to triggers as well. I hadn’t thought about how tolerating the distress is really a win, but I guess it is! That’s awesome. Thank you for sharing.

[StandinStill]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been away from active treatment for a long time but I’m working to get back into it .This really helps me a lot though .

I think I’m somewhere between both of those . Does your therapist say it’s possible to use both methods ?

Thank you again

[Hannahzid IOCDF Advocate in reply to StandinStill]

Yes! Inhibitory learning is part of ERP! She just emphasizes this part and I have found it super helpful.

[StandinStill in reply to Hannahzid]

Thank you so much

[LuvSun]

Thanks for sharing

[Hannahzid IOCDF Advocate in reply to LuvSun]

Of course!

[Blue_Red]

This is very interesting. I am having a hard time with having my thoughts controlling me and running my life. For example I fear grease and oil from a car shop. Men who work on cars and have black stained hands make my skin crawl. And when I hear that someone is a mechanic it triggers my ocd. So for example today I get my haircut and my hair looks great, though as I was talking to my hair dresser she mentions that her husband is a mechanic, and of course it immediately triggers my ocd. I left salon feeling loving my haircut and feeling beautiful, though felt like I had to go home to shower because possibly I had been contaminated. I sat with the anxiety, though it upset my day and I had to shower before going to bed in my clean sheets because I didn't want to accidentally or possibly contaminate my bedding. This ocd is running my life. I am in the process of seeking a good therapist. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. Thank you

[Hannahzid IOCDF Advocate in reply to Blue_Red]

You got through a very difficult exposure and that is awesome! Sitting with the anxiety as long as you can shows so much resilience. I definitely can relate to the feeling of OCD running your life. And depending on where you are located, you can find therapists in your area on the IOCDF's website. If you feel comfortable with virtual therapy, you can check out the NOCD app or treatmyOCD.com. This is how I found a great OCD therapist since there were not any available in my area.