Flooding

• Phobias are learnt through association, so they can be unlearnt through association.
• Works on the principle of reciprocal inhibition, we cannot experience two opposing emotions at the same time.
• Aims to replace the feelings of fear with the feeling of relaxation.
• The individual is exposed to the phobic stimulus in one long session where they are unable to avoid the phobic stimulus.
• 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓽𝓱𝓼:

  • Applicability - can treat a wide range of phobias. 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐮𝐦 Found at 6 months after VR and flooding were equally effective, showing that it does work long term.
  • Supporting research - 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐩𝐞. Used flooding to remove a girls phobia of being in cars. She was forced to be in the car until she wasn’t scared any more.
  • Cost effective - quicker treatment compared to flooding, so it can save NHS money and waiting lists are likely to be shorter.
• 𝓛𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼:

  • Not suitable for social phobias. Only effective for specific phobias as they can identify the source of the phobia.
  • Symptom substitution - the anxiety manifests itself into another phobia.
  • Less effective than SD - 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 found that in a phobia of mice, SD was more effective as a long term solution.
  • High drop out rate - very distressing causing patients to withdraw.
  • Ignores evolution.
  • Not ethical - highly distressing.
  • Not long term.