Behavioural approach to treating phobias

• Systematic desensitisation


  The process of gradually introducing an individual to an object or event that they feel anxious about
• Systematic desensitisation


  • Developed by Wolpe
  • Based upon counterconditioning: responding to a stimulus with fear, changes to responding with relaxation. Forming a new association that runs counter to the original association.
• Systematic desensitisation


  1. Relaxation

  2. Desensitisation hierarchy

  3. Exposure
• Relaxation


  The therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible (Reciprocal inhibition - relaxation and anxiety cannot simultaneously co-exist)
• Desensitisation hierarchy


  Therapist and patient construct a series of imagined anxiety provoking situations. They then work through this hierarchy, relaxing and mastering each stage before moving on to the next
• Exposure


  Finally the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state
• Flooding


  • involves a single exposure in non-graded manner to the person’s most feared situation with the phobic object

  • Taught relaxation techniques, but shown phobic stimulus with non-graded manner

  • Adrenaline released when the fear response occurs has a time limit. As adrenaline levels naturally decrease, a new stimulus- response link is learned between the feared stimulus and relaxation.