Treatment Of Phobias Flashcards
Systematic desensitisation
Systematic desensitisation is a behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning. It used counterconditioning to
unlearn the maladaptive response to a situation or object, by eliciting another response, relaxation.
There are three processes involved in systematic desensitisation. Firstly, the client and therapist work together to develop a fear hierarchy, where they rank the phobic situation from least to most terrifying.
What is reciprocal inhibition?
Two emotional states cannot exist at the same time. Someone cannot be fearful and relaxed at the same time and the relaxation should overtake the fear
What is an anxiety hierarchy.
is put together by the patient and therapist. This is a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged in order from least to most frightening. For example, an arachnophobic might identify seeing a picture of a small spider as low on their anxiety hierarchy and holding a tarantula at the top of the hierarchy.
Example of anxiety hierarchy
1) introduction to dogs in photographs
2) dogs introduced without direct access
3) dogs introduced to the same room
4) dog introduced to a personal space on lead
5) loose dog introduced through window
6) loose dog introduced but blocked by waist high object
7) loose dog in the same room
8) repeated with different dogs
9) observe loose dogs in a park from a distance
10) close proximity to dogs in a park
What happens after the hierarchy?
An individual is taught relaxation techniques for example, breathing techniques muscle relaxation strategies or mental imagery techniques
What is the final component of systematic desensitisation?
This involves exposing the patient to their phobic situation and hole relaxed. The patient starts at the bottom of the fear hierarchy and when the patient can remain relaxed in the presence of the stimulus they progress onto the next level. The patient gradually moved their way up the hierarchy until they are completely relaxed in the most feared situation - SD is successful
What is flooding?
It is a more extreme behavioural therapy. Rather than exposing a person to their phobic stimulus gradually, a person is exposed to the most frightening situation immediately. For example, a person with a phobia of dogs would be placed in a room with a dog and asked to stroke the dog straight away.
What happens in flooding?
With flooding, a person is unable to avoid (negatively reinforce) their phobia and through continuous exposure, anxiety levels decrease. This is because the individual learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless. This process is known as extinction. A learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus e.g. a dog is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus e.g. being bitten. The result is that the conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response of fear.
What are the two forms of flooding?
Vivo- actual exposure
Vitro- imaginary exposure
