Treating phobias

• Systematic desensitisation is a behavioural therapy which aims to reduce phobic anxiety to a stimulus
• systematic desensitisation is done through the process of classical conditioning
• The aim of therapy is to allow patients to learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus
• allowing patients to relax in the presence of their phobia is known as counterconditioning
• It is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time, so one emotion prevents the other. This is known as reciprocal inhibition
• Process of systematic desensitisation:

  1. Anxiety hierarchy
  2. Relaxation
  3. Exposure
• Anxiety hierarchy

  • Patient and therapist form a list
  • Least to most frightening
• Relaxation

  • Breathing exercises
  • Imagine a relaxing situation
  • Meditate
• Exposure

  • Patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus in a relaxed state over several sessions
  • Once they relax at lower levels, they can move up
• STRENGTHS of systematic desensitisation

  • virtual reality- saving time and money, avoid dangerous situations
  • supported by research- Gilroy et al (2003) treated 42 arachnophobes, SD patients were more relaxed at both 3 and 33 months
• LIMITATIONS of systematic desensitisation

  • not effective for all phobias- biological preparedness, innate phobia of heights, snakes etc
• Flooding involves exposing patients to an extreme form of the phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by the stimulus, there is no gradual exposure
• Flooding

  • stops phobic responses quickly
  • cannot avoid phobic stimulus, realises there is no danger
  • learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus is met without the UCS, known as extinction
  • exhausted by their own fear so they relax
• Ethical consideration of flooding

  • informed consent
  • need to be prepared and well informed
  • can be traumatic
• LIMITATIONS of flooding

  • not effective for all phobias- social phobias may respond better to CBT
  • traumatic- Schumacher et al (2015) flooding is more stressful, attrition rates are higher
• STRENGTHS of flooding

  • cost and time effective- Ougrin (2011) found flooding is more effective than other methods, one session, quicker and cheaper