Treatment

• What is systematic desensitisation?

  Counter-conditioning of unlearning maladaptive response to a situation or object by eliciting the response of relaxation through classical conditioning
• What is the first step to systematic desensitisation?

  Creating a fear hierarchy; phobic situation is ranked from least to most terrifying, i.e. being in the same room as a spider as opposed to holding a toy model
• What is the second step of systematic desensitisation?

  Relaxation training: individual learns breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation strategies or mental imagery techniques
• What is the third and final step of systematic desensitisation?

  Reciprocal inhibition: two emotional states cannot exist at the same time due to a competing response
• What is covert desensitisation?

  Contact achieved through imaginary scenarios
• What is in vivo desensitisation?

  Involving actual contact
• How does relaxation take over fear?

  Gradual process of starting from the bottom of the fear hierarchy to the next level, until phobia is completely extinguished
• What is flooding?

  Immediate exposure to the anxiety-inducing stimulus; intense expose over an extended period of time in a safe and controlled manner
• What does flooding not allow the individual to do?

  Avoid and negatively enforce their phobia due to continuous exposure, leading to anxiety levels eventually decreasing
• What occurs due to avoidant behaviours being unemployable and fear becoming a time-limited response?


  Extinction
• What does continuous exposure lead to?

  Exhaustion setting in and the individual feels a sense of calm and relief, forming a positive association to the stimulus