While ERP is often presented as a standardized, prescriptive 12–15 session protocol, clinicians frequently encounter patients whose recovery is stalled by deep-seated clinical complexities. This problem exists because the "nuts and bolts" of treatment often fail to account for how trauma, all-or-nothing thinking, and "powering through" anxiety can actually function as subtle forms of emotional avoidance. This lecture will provide clinicians with a framework to recognize when the "perfect" execution of treatment has itself become an obsession. By attending, clinicians will learn to move beyond a manualized mindset and gain tools to navigate the complicated human factors—such as perfectionism and informed trauma—that require a more flexible, nuanced application of ERP.