Exposure therapy is a behavioral approach that helps people face feared situations, sensations, thoughts, or memories in a planned and safe way. This lesson introduces its purpose, basic principles, and common forms.
Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy used to treat anxiety disorders and other difficulties involving fear or avoidance. A therapist helps a person encounter a fear-inducing stimulus or its context without intending to put them in danger. The aim is to help the person respond differently to the feared experience and reduce distress or impairment over time.
All flashcards
What is exposure therapy?
A behavioral technique in which a person deliberately and safely encounters feared stimuli or contexts to support new learning and reduce avoidance and distress.
What is exposure and response prevention (ERP)?
A treatment that pairs encountering a feared cue with refraining from the ritual, compulsion, or escape response that usually follows.
What does the inhibitory learning model propose about exposure?
Exposure supports new learning that can inhibit or compete with earlier fear learning, which may remain available.
What is in vivo exposure?
Encountering an actual feared situation in real life as part of treatment.
What is prolonged exposure (PE) for PTSD?
A treatment combining repeated imaginal retelling of trauma memories with gradual in vivo confrontation of safe reminders.
Quiz questions
What distinguishes ERP from exposure that does not include response prevention?Answer: The person faces a feared cue and refrains from the usual ritual or escape response.
What does the inhibitory learning model propose about fear learning during exposure?Answer: New learning can compete with earlier fear learning, which may not be erased.
Which combination characterizes prolonged exposure for PTSD?Answer: Repeated imaginal trauma retelling and gradual in vivo contact with safe reminders.
For generalized anxiety disorder, which exposure format may be more effective than imaginal exposure?Answer: In vivo exposure to real-life situations.
Which psychotherapy does the American Psychological Association strongly recommend as a first-line treatment for PTSD?Answer: Prolonged exposure.
Based on the Wikipedia article Exposure therapy, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.