Systematic desensitisation evaluation

• support from gilroy et al

  One strength of systematic desensitisation (SD) is the evidence base for its effectiveness.

  Lisa Gilroy et al. (2003) followed up 42 people who had SD for spider phobia in three 45-minute sessions. At both three and 33 months, the SD group were less fearful than a control group treated by relaxation without exposure. In a recent review Theresa Wechsler et al. (2019) concluded that SD is effective for specific phobia, social phobia and agoraphobia.

  This means that SD is likely to be helpful for people with phobias.
• suitable learning disabilities

  A further strength of SD is that it can be used to help people with learning disabilities. Some people requiring treatment for phobias also have a learning disability. However, the main alternatives to SD are not suitable. People with learning disabilities often struggle with cognitive therapies that require complex rational thought. They may also feel confused and distressed by the traumatic experience of flooding.

  This means that SD is often the most appropriate treatment for people with learning disabilities who have phobias.
• Try VR

  Traditional SD involves exposure to the phobic stimulus in a real-world setting. However there are advantages to conducting the exposure part of SD in virtual reality (VR). Exposure through VR can be used to avoid dangerous situations (e.g. heights) and is cost-effective because the psychologist and client need not leave the consulting room.

  On the other hand there is some evidence to suggest that VR exposure may be less effective than real exposure for social phobias because it lacks realism (Wechsler et al. 2019).