ERP is miserable

Good news: I recently found a way to tell my family that I have OCD, and specifically about the aspects of my Self-Harm OCD which really frighten me. They've been supportive, although I'm not sure they fully grasp how devastating this is to live with... Which is fine, I assume that'll take time. I'm just glad I was able to explain myself to people who previously had a very stereotypical/incorrect understanding of OCD.

Bad news: Now that I've started treatment for OCD, and I'm not just pushing away these thoughts or doing compulsions to fix them, I feel worse.

I feel empowered because I'm working really hard, I feel relieved that I finally know what's going on, I feel validated because a psychologist and a psychiatrist agree about my diagnosis, but... This is awful. My anxiety is through the roof. The intrusive thoughts/images in my head are more persistent and graphic. I'm still dealing with bulimia and chronic pain. It feels like too much to handle, but I don't have a choice. This is my brain. I can't switch off these awful thoughts. I wish I could.

I wish I knew how long this is supposed to last for. How long does it take for ERP to make a difference and settle the OCD? I know it's different for everyone. But when a single day feels this torturous, how can I wait for months or years to experience the benefits of all this work?

I keep thinking, how can this be the treatment? To be this distressed? How can this be the correct path?

It's a while until my next psych session. I guess I'm just making this post to see if anyone else here understands.