A 29-year-old woman with OCD experiences intrusive thoughts that she may have hit a pedestrian while driving, leading her to circle back repeatedly to check the road and to seek reassurance from her partner that she did not harm anyone. After eight sessions of exposure and response prevention (ERP), she can now drive her usual routes without circling back, her SUDS ratings during driving exposures have decreased from 90 to 25, and she reports significantly less distress when intrusive thoughts arise. During a treatment evaluation session, the PMHNP asks the treating therapist to explain the mechanism by which ERP produced these improvements. Which of the following most accurately describes the current understanding of ERP's mechanism of action?