Systematic Desensitisation

• Systematic desensitisation (SD) is a treatment based on classical conditioning.
• Systematic desensitisation is a behavioural treatment for phobias.
• Systematic desensitisation uses a hierarchy with relaxation techniques to treat phobias.
• SD uses reverse conditioning to unlearn maladaptive responses to a situation or object, using relaxation.
• Systematic desensitisation uses a fear hierarchy, relaxation techniques and reciprocal inhibition in its treatment.
• Reciprocal inhibition is when two emotional states cannot exist at the same time.
• You cannot feel anxious and relaxed at the same time.
• In SD a person is unable to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so the relaxation should overtake the fear, reducing the phobia.
• People start at the bottom of the fear hierarchy, remaining relaxed in the presence of the phobic stimulus before gradually progressing onto the next stage.
• Systematic desensitisation is like gradual exposure therapy.
• People gradually move their way up the fear hierarchy until they are completely relaxed in the most feared situation, reducing their phobia.
• The three processes in SD are creating a fear hierarchy, relaxation (using reciprocal inhibition) and exposure therapy.