Treatment Of Phobias Flashcards
Name 3 relaxation techniques
Progressive muscle relaxation
Diaphragmatic breathing
Attention focus
What problems are associated with attention focus relaxation techniques?
It’s a type of avoidance behaviour and doesn’t address the problem
Who developed systematic desensitisation?
Wolpe 1958
What’s the difference in systematic desensitisation and in vivo desensitisation?
Systematic - imagined
In vivo - real life
SD is effective for what?
Specific phobias
What did Lang & Lazovick 1963 Conclude about sd?
It has immediate and long term effects for specific phobias
How does SD work?
Client learns relaxation techniques
Works through an imagined heirarchy or fears
Until they can successfully imagine facing the fear whilst staying relaxed
What’s different in in vivo?
The client actually comes into contact with the feared stimulus rather than imagining it
What support did McGrath et al 1990 provide?
75% of clients had clinically significantly improved
Who found SD and in vivo was effective in 60-80% clients? And relapse was common in 50% of participants after 6months
Craske and Barlow 1993
Barlow and Durrand 1995 found what?
Over exposure of the phobic stimulus in in vivo desensitisation can intensify the phobia and make it worse
What did shabani and fisher 2006 find?
SD is effective in reducing fear in an autistic teenager who had a fear of needles
What did Conyers & Mitenberger 2004 find about in vivo desensitisation?
It is effective in reducing anxiety in fear of the dentist it is more effective than video modelling
What is SD and in vivo effective for?
Reducing phobia in specific objects or situations
Functional analysis just he done to avoid overexposing the client according to who?
Barlow and Durrand 1995
What’s the problem with SD?
It depends on the clients ability to use imagination if it isn’t vivid the treatment won’t be effective
Some research shows what about relaxation and heirarchy?
They are not required/introduction of flooding therapy
How is flooding therapy different to SD and in vivo?
Client is exposed immediately there is no relaxing
The theory behind flooding is what?
The client has to unlearn the feared response very quickly
Why is there a high drop out rate of flooding?
The client is exposed to high intense feelings of fear
Why does the sessions last long periods of time?
Initially the fear and anxiety levels are intense and high but the body cannot maintain these for long periods of time. Eventually these will die down the client will feel calm and learn there is nothing to be afraid of
What’s the major upside to flooding?
It is time and cost effective
What does drug therapy do?
Controls levels of neurotransmitters in the brain
Drugs may treat the symptoms but what is the issue?
They don’t get to the root of the problem or provide coping strategies
What does cognitive therapies attempt to do?
To manipulate the conscious distorted and catastrophic thoughts people with phobias typically have - Beck 1976
What’s the 3 types of cognitive therapy?
Cognitive rehearsal
Cognitive restructuring
Cognitive behavioural group therapy ** particularly good for social phobias
What do relaxation techniques attempt to do??
Decrease HR, reduce muscle tension and encourage deep breathing
