Exposure to the trigger of the obsessional distress requires that it is done for a long enough time to allow distress to diminish on its own.
You do not remove yourself from the situation.
You do not do a ritual or an anxiety reducer.
The exposure must be done repeatedly to have an optimal effect, just like learning any new skill.”
If you jump in too soon and “help” the person, you are hurting the process. They learn that they cannot do it on their own, which is false. They can, they just need to be patient enough. They need to learn how to handle discomfort, similar to doing exercise. At first, most exercise does not feel wonderful. If you want the good results, you need to allow those feelings to be there and observe the feelings.