extinguish a phobia by gradually exposing a patient to a phobic stimulus whilst they engage in relaxation techniques to help them become less reactive to phobic stimulus/ feel no fear
WHAT DOES SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION INVOLVE?
gradual desensitisation to phobic stimulus by a desensitisation/ anxiety hierarchy
HOW CAN SYSTEMATIC DESENSITITSATION OCCUR?
in vivo or in vitro
IN VIVO?
in real life (actually experiencing)
IN VITRO?
visualisation
METHOD?
Patient taught how to relax their muscles
Create desensitisation hierarchy
Patient works through hierarchy whilst practicing relaxation techniques
Can only move on once finished step
Eventually patient exposed to stimulus while engaging in relaxation response and overcomes the feared situation (continues up hierarchy until phobia is gone)
STRENGTHS OF SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION?
ethical
appropriate for children + people with severe learning disabilities
research by Lang + Lazovik to support
WEAKNESSES OF SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION?
not universal
cannot treat individuals with evolutionary based phobias (not conditioned)
