Treating phobias Flashcards
What is counter conditioning?
Replacing fear with relaxation
Stages of SD?
1 Fear hierarchy
2 Relaxation techniques e.g. breathing
3 Exposure
In vivo?
In real life
In vitro?
Imagined
When is SD complete?
When the client is relaxed in the presence of the phobic stimulus- fear and relaxation cannot occur at the same time therefore the phobia becomes extinguished. Repeat for all the heirarchy
What is flooding?
Immediate exposure to the phobic stimulus without relaxation techniques. The patient is kept in the anxious state until the anxiety has worn off and they realise nothing bad can happen. The phobia becomes extinguished
Main issue with flooding?
Unpleasant experience- can cause psychological harm e.g. anxiety- therefore it is important to have informed consent
Gilroy research?
Shows effectiveness of SD- looked at patients with a spider phobia who had had over 300 minutes of SD, they were then compared to a control group who only used relaxation techniques, at 3 and 33 months SD patients appeared less fearful of spiders
What is symptom substitution?
Replacing an old fear with a new one
Common with spiders and snake
What type of patients is flooding not suitable for?
Patients with learning difficulties who may find it difficult to understand what is going on
How is SD more favourable then flooding?
Less traumatic and has some pleasant aspects
What shows that SD is more favourable than flooding?
The lower refusal and attrition rates
What is an advantage of flooding?
Time and cost effective, patients are free from symptoms quickly, which saves money whereas SD you have to pay for multiple sessions
What type of fears is flooding suited for?
Specific fears- struggles to cure more complex fears such as social phobias
