Behavioural Approach to Treating Phobias Flashcards
What is SD?
Behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic stimulus through the principle of classical conditioning
What does SD suggest?
-If the sufferer can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus, then a new response (relaxation instead of anxiety) is learned, and the phobia is cured.
-This learning of a different response is called counter-conditioning.
What does SD aim to do?
replace a faulty association between the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response that has resulted in a phobic response
In SD why does one emotion prevent the other and what is it called?
As it is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time
-This is called reciprocal inhibition.
What are the two types of SD?
In vivo and in vitro
What is in vivo?
where the individual is exposed to the actual phobic object or situation
What are the three processes involved in SD?
-Relaxation
-The anxiety hierarchy
-Gradual Exposure
What is relaxation based on?
the idea of reciprocal inhibition
What is relaxation?
the therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible.
What may relaxation involve?
-breathing exercises e.g. might be taught the 7/11 technique, which is a breathing exercise where you breathe in for a count of 7 and out for a count 11
What is the 7/11 relaxation method used for?
-used to help people relax and gain composure in a variety of
situations
What may patients alternatively learn instead of the 7/11 technique?
mental imagery techniques- Patients can be taught to imagine themselves in relaxing situations (such as imagining lying on a beach) or they might learn meditation.
What is the anxiety hierarchy?
-put together by the client and therapist.
-list of situations related to the phobia that provoke anxiety arranged in order from least to most frightening
-e.g. spider phobic may identify seeing a picture of a small spider as low on their anxiety hierarchy and holding a tarantula at the top of the hierarchy.
What is gradual exposure?
-finally the patient is gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus
while in a relaxed state
How long does gradual exposure take?
This takes place across several sessions, starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy.
When do patients move up the hierarchy?
When the patient can stay relaxed in the presence of the lower levels of the phobic stimulus
When is treatment successful (gradual exposure)?
Treatment is successful when the patient can stay relaxed in situations high on the anxiety hierarchy
What is the aim of flooding?
to expose the sufferer to the phobic object or situation for an extended period of time in a safe and controlled environment.
What does flooding only treat?
learnt phobias
What does flooding involve (immediate exposure to the phobic stimulus)?
flooding involves bombarding the phobic patient with the phobic object (in-vivo exposure) until person is calm +does not fear the stimulus, without a gradual build up.
-So spider phobic (arachnophobic)
receiving flooding treatment may have a large spider crawl over their hand until they can relax fully.
Why are flooding sessions longer that SD sessions?
-flooding sessions are typically longer than SD sessions, one session often lasting two to three hours (due to bombarding)
-Sometimes only one long session is needed to cure a phobia.
Why can’t you leave in flooding?
you sign away your right to withdraw
What is Exhaustion of fear response?
-without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient quickly learns that the phobic object is harmless through the exhaustion of
their fear response.
-This is known as extinction.
What is extinction in CC terms?
the result is that the conditioned stimulus (spider) no longer produces the conditioned response (fear)
In some cases why may the patient achieve relaxation in the presence of the phobic stimulus?
simply because they become exhausted by their own fear response
What is prevention of avoidance?
-avoidance behaviours maintain the phobia as the phobic cannot learn that the thing they fear is not harmful. -So, stopping the phobic patient
from making their usual avoidance responses is necessary to prevent reinforcement of the phobia.
Why do both SD and Flooding (especially) work?
they prevent avoidance
Why is it important that patients give informed consent? (ethical safeguards)
Flooding is not unethical but is an unpleasant experience
Why might the client be trained in relaxation techniques before exposure?
so that they are able to control their fearful response
