Behavioural treatments for phobias

• Flooding


  A behaviourist treatment for phobias that involves exposing patients to their worst fear and encouraging them to stay near it under relaxed conditions
• Flooding


  • Through this process, patients learn to associate a relaxed response with the phobia, helping to diminish the fear associated with it
  • The short-lived adrenal response during flooding leads to a subsequent calm state due to a decrease in adrenaline
• Systematic desensitisation (SD)


  The second behaviourist treatment for phobias
• Systematic desensitisation (SD)


  1. The doctor and patient write a fear hierarchy, starting from the least to the most fearful stimulus

  2. Patients learn relaxation techniques to manage anxiety during the treatment

  3. The patient is gradually exposed to the items on the fear hierarchy, starting with the least feared stimulus and progressing to the most feared stimulus until the client is ready to confront real fear