Treating phobias

• Systematic desensitisation- gradually with a client, building an anxiety heirarchy, and a gradual exposure to the stages, can be 'in vitro' with virtual reality, or 'in vivo' with a real life gradual exposure
• Systematic desensitisation- positives- ethical treatment that is appropriate for children and adults with learning difficulties. Lang and Lazovik used it on a group of children who had a fear of snakes, their phobic symptoms significantly reduced after therapy compared to a group who did not receive treatment
• Systematic desensitisation negatives- may not be effective in more evolutionary based phobias such as fear of the dark or heights, and so it cannot claim to treat all phobias
• Practical issues with SD- time consuming for the pp and also they may never overcome their phobic stimulus if they miss any of their numerous sessions
• Flooding- immediate exposure to the phobic stimulus- in vitro or in vivo,
• Flooding positives- practical benefits as it is time efficient and cost effective, Wolpe put a pateint with a fear of cars in the back of one and drover her around for hours, her fear response temporarily became very high but by the end of the journey her fear had completely dissapeared
• intense anxiety levels with flooding may mean that it is not suitable for children or adults with learning difficulties,