Type of Therapy – Exposure Therapy

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What Is Exposure Therapy?

Exposure therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is used to treat a variety of anxiety-related disorders, including phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. A therapist uses exposure therapy to carefully and systematically expose a person to feared situations without any danger present. The purpose of this is to help extinguish fear surrounding the situation or object. The goal of this type of therapy is to help the person reduce anxiety and fear associated with certain objects or events.

The Origins of Exposure Therapy

South African Psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe developed systematic desensitization in 1958. This is a type of exposure therapy in which people are first taught relaxation methods and then systematically exposed in increasing frequency or intensity to situations or things that they fear or that cause anxiety. They then use the relaxation methods that they were taught to cope with the anxiety.

Since the 1950s, exposure therapy has continued to expand and grow. It is now even used with virtual reality to help combat PTSD and other anxiety-related disorders.

How Does Exposure Therapy Work?

Usually, when someone is afraid of something, they will avoid that situation, event or object. For instance, if you are afraid of being in a small enclosed area, you might naturally avoid riding in an elevator and take the stairs instead. Avoiding the feared situation or object will help reduce anxiety—but only in the short term—eventually, it causes a pattern of behavior that can interfere with daily life. Avoidance keeps you trapped in your anxiety, and it is the biggest obstacle to getting over an anxiety disorder. So, when a person has an anxiety disorder, a therapist might recommend exposure therapy to help the person combat avoidance and reduce fear.

During exposure therapy, apsychologistortherapistwill slowly introduce the person to situations, objects and events that incite fear. They confront these things in a safe environment where there is no actual danger present. The person will usually be taught relaxation skills that they can use to cope with the anxiety that they experience during exposure. Exposure therapy has been found to be effective for a range of issues including:

Exposure Therapy Methods and Techniques

Several different methods can be used to expose a person to anxiety-provoking stimuli during exposure therapy sessions. Here are the most common:

Specific Exposure Therapy Techniques

A variety of therapeutic methods can be used to help the person overcome their anxiety and fears. Here are some of the most common methods.

Graded Exposure

During this method, a person is exposed to the feared situation or event small, manageable steps. At each step, the individual learns to control their fear. Once they control fear in situations that cause mild anxiety, they are exposed to more intense situations until they are are finally able to overcome the anxiety associated with objects and situations that are greatly feared.

Systematic Desensitization

This type of therapeutic technique is similar to graded exposure in that individuals are slowly exposed to feared situations in a step wise manner. However, they also learn relaxation training methods to help combat the fear. Examples of relaxation training include:

During systematic desensitization, a person will use any of the above relaxation methods at each step of exposure to cope with the anxiety that results from being exposed to a feared stimuli.

Flooding

This technique is typically not used until the anxiety is significantly reduced first. It involves “flooding” a person with their feared stimuli all at once. This method is sometimes used because it works much faster than systematic desensitization. Although flooding might be traumatic for the person, it can be helpful if the anxiety is significantly interfering with their daily life. The therapist would help the person cope with the anxiety using the same relaxation methods that are used in systematic desensitization.

Prolonged Exposure

Expectations and Limitations of Exposure Therapy

In spite of the limitations, exposure therapy is worth serious consideration when it comes to treating many forms of anxiety. Research continues to support the use of this treatment for overcoming fear and phobias.

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