HABIT REVERSAL TRAINING

Breaking the Habit Loop in OCD

In OCD, compulsions often begin as ways to ease anxiety… but overtime, they can turn into AUTOMATIC HABITS.

You might find yourself tapping, checking, or repeating something until it “feels right” even when you know it doesn’t make sense.
That’s where HABIT REVERSAL TRAINING (HRT) can really help.

It works by teaching you to:
1️⃣ NOTICE the urge before it takes over
2️⃣ INTERRUPT the compulsion
3️⃣ REPLACE it with a new, incompatible action. Something that breaks the cycle

For example:
If someone feels the need to TAP A DOORFRAME every time they walk through it, we might practice CLENCHING THEIR FISTS & TAKING A SLOW BREATH until the urge fades.

This small shift helps retrain the brain showing that the urge doesn’t need to be obeyed.

Overtime, the connection between the urge & the action weakens, & the compulsion loses its hold.

When combined with Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP), it helps target both the FEAR & the HABIT side of OCD.

HRT isn’t just for OCD it’s also effective for skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting, & other repetitive behaviours.
Different habits, same goal: building awareness & taking back control.