Download How Exposure Therapy Works

How Exposure Therapy
Works
PHOENIX HAMMOND
Phobia
Development
Phobia Development

Phobia: An extreme, irrational fear of a specific
object or situation
 Classified
 Learned
as an anxiety disorder
emotional response
 Brain
turns a previously neutral stimulus into a
negative one
 Often
learned through classical conditioning or
observational learning
Phobia Development

The Amygdala is largely tied with the
brain’s perception of fear

Specifically, the Lateral Nucleus
inside the Amygdala, which is
responsible for fear responses

The amygdala receives information
from the olfactory system, the
hypothalamus, the cerebral cortex,
and the brain stem
Classical
Conditioning
Classical Conditioning

One theory of phobia
development is through
classical conditioning

Someone experiences a
negative response to an
object or situation, which
turns a previously neutral
stimulus into a negative one
Classical Conditioning

Little Albert
 Albert
was conditioned to fear furry animals by
hearing a loud noise when exposed to them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmtRjUt Aa84
Observational
Learning
Observational Learning

Phobias can also be developed via observational learning

For example: a child’s parent can have a phobia of spiders, the
child can see how the parent responds when exposed to a spider,
and the child can then develop a phobia of spiders as well
What
Exposure
Therapy Is
What Exposure Therapy Is

Exposure therapy is a way of treating phobias and other
conditions, like PTSD, by having the patient experience
their fear over time, reducing the psychophysiological
response

Can lead to extinction of the learned associations
between the feared object and the negative outcome

Extinction: the diminished effects of classical
conditioning
Methods of
Exposure
Therapy
Methods of Exposure Therapy

Types of Exposure:

Imaginal: Patient is asked to imagine their fear in their mind. For
example, a person with agoraphobia might be asked to
imagine standing in a middle of a crowded mall

In Vivo: Patient is exposed to real life objects of situations. For
example, a person with a fear of snakes might watch a snake in
a cage

Virtual Reality: Both combined. Patients are placed in a situation
that may seem real but is actually fabricated or not really there.
For example, a simulation of flying or falling
Methods of Exposure Therapy

Exposure Therapy Techniques:
 Systematic
Desensitization: Patient is gradually
exposed to more anxiety-provoking stimuli and
taught relaxation techniques
 Prolonged
exposure to the feared stimulus until the
anxiety is diminished. Can be In Vivo or VR
Why It Works
Why It Works

Exposure therapy works
because exposure to the
feared stimulus in a
controlled environment,
without the negative effects
the patient believes the
stimulus has will, essentially,
reverse its effects and turn
the negative stimulus back
into a neutral one.
Sources

American Psychological Association. N.D. What is exposure therapy?.
American Psychological Association, Division 12.
http://www.div12.org/sites/default/files/WhatIsExposureTherapy.pdf

Mager, R., Bullinger, A., Mueller-Spahn, F., Kuntze, F., Stoermer, R. (2001).
Real-time monitoring of brain activity in patients with specific phobia
during exposure therapy, employing a Stereoscopic virtual environment.
Cyber Psychology and Behavior. 4:4.

White, M. (2002). Phobias and the brain. Serendip. brynmawr.edu.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web3/mwhite.html

(2015). Exposure therapy. Goodtherapy.org
http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/exposure-therapy