systematic densensitisation

• occurs in three steps
• 1


  the doctor and patient write a list that builds up in stages from the least to most feared stimulus, fear hierarchy
• 2


  patients are taught relaxation techniques to manage anxiety, such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation
• 3


  the patient then imagines the feared stimulus gradually, starting from the least feared to the most feared, making sure they are relaxed during each feared stimulus
• systematic desensitisation works because it prevents the patient from avoiding the feared stimulus
• the association between the conditioned and unconditioned stimulus is extinguished
• uses counterconditioning to replace fear with relaxation
• in vivo SD


  the patient is gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus rather than imagining it or using pictures (in vitro)