{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6878552cb93bd5454d9d0de2/69ce02541ada36b7ad595bf2?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"What Exposure Therapy Actually Feels Like (The Mentos/Jelly Bean Exercise)","description":"<p>In this episode of <em>Breaking the Rules</em>, we do something a little different — we guide you through a <strong>live experiential exercise</strong> used in therapy to demonstrate how <strong>Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)</strong> actually feels in the moment.</p><p><br></p><p>Using a simple jelly bean (or Mentos), we walk through an exercise that highlights one of the most important lessons in OCD treatment: <strong>the urge to escape discomfort can be powerful, but it can also be tolerated.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Through this exercise, we explore how quickly the mind and body react to discomfort, how intrusive thoughts and urges show up, and how reconnecting with <strong>meaning and values</strong> can shift our relationship with those experiences.</p><p><br></p><p>Experiential exercises like this are commonly used in <strong>ACT, DBT, and ERP therapy</strong> because they allow people to <em>learn through doing</em>, rather than just talking about the skills intellectually.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode we discuss:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>What experiential exercises are and why they are powerful in therapy</li><li>Why learning skills during calm moments is different from using them during triggers</li><li>The Mentos (or jelly bean) exercise used to simulate <strong>urge surfing and response prevention</strong></li><li>What happens in the mind and body when discomfort rises</li><li>Intrusive thoughts, urges, and the instinct to escape discomfort</li><li>The role of <strong>meaning and values in increasing distress tolerance</strong></li><li>Why acceptance changes our <strong>relationship to discomfort</strong>, not the discomfort itself</li><li>How clinicians can use this exercise with clients, families, and teen group.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Victoria Miller"}