flooding / implosion therapy - treatment for phobias

Question 1

what is flooding? - P1, A01

Answer 1

flooding is a prolonged, high level exposure therapy to the phobic stimulus
the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus without the gradual build-up in an anxiety hierarchy
the patient will be confronted with the phobic stimulus and will remain in its presence until the fear stops

Question 2

strength of flooding, study evidence - P1, A01

Answer 2

one strength of using flooding as a treatment for phobias is that there is study evidence from Wolpe to support the treatment being successful
Wolpe used flooding therapy for treating an individual with a phobia of cars
he found that after prolonged exposure, the patient eventually calmed down and the fear stopped
therefore, this means that there is study evidence to show that over a prolonged period of time, the fear will stop if the patient is continually exposed to the phobic stimulus, so flooding is an effective treatment for phobias

Question 3

COUNTER ARGUMENT TO strength of flooding, study evidence - P1, A01

Answer 3

however, Barrett used implosion therapy for treating phobias of snakes
Barrett found mixed results of this therapy, with one participant not having a successful treatment to this phobic stimulus
this one participant reported that every time she closed her eyes she saw snakes and was not able to go to sleep or college due to the thought of snakes being in the vicinity or in dreams
therefore, this makes the treatment unethical as it is causing distress to some participants after under going the continued exposure to the phobic stimulus

Question 4

how does flooding work? - P2, A01

Answer 4

flooding works on the principles of reciprocal inhibition (not being able to feel two opposing emotions at the same time) and habituation (getting used to something the more you are exposed to it)
there is a big biological aspect to the treatment where it is meant to act off the parasympathetic nervous system to slow down the flight or fight response e.g., heart rate
the patient is exposed constantly to the phobic stimulus until they are no longer scared of the stimulus, once they are no longer scared of the stimulus, the therapy has worked

Question 5

weakness of flooding, not suitable for all - P2, A03

Answer 5

one weakness of flooding is that it may not be effective for social phobias
this may be because social phobias have cognitive aspects
for example, a person with a social phobia does not simply experience an anxiety response but thinks unpleasant thoughts about the social situation
therefore, this means that flooding cannot be the sole treatment on offer for phobias because it only tackles behavioural responses

Question 6

implosion therapy - P3, A01

Answer 6

implosion therapy is similar to flooding therapy
the difference is that the patient imagines the exposure to the phobic stimulus rather than it actually physically being present
this will still target the patients phobia’s as they are still being confronted with what they fear

Question 7

strength of implosion therapy - P3, A03

Answer 7

one strength of implosion therapy is that it is more practical and cost effective than systematic desensitisation
the therapy is faster and will take fewer sessions to complete than systematic desensitisation and more cost effective as the phobic stimulus does not have to be present at all but it will be present for a shorter amount of time due to the therapy taking less sessions to complete
therefore, this makes flooding and implosion therapy more cost effective than systematic desensitisation because it usually only takes one session as the patient will remain exposed to the stimulus until the phobic stimulus no longer produces a fear reaction