systematic desensitisation
A therapist guides a patient through systematic desensitisation to reduce fear of heights.
Noun: A therapeutic technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other anxiety-related disorders. It involves the client being gradually and repeatedly exposed to the feared object, situation, or thought while in a state of deep relaxation, with the goal of eventually eliminating the anxiety response.
This term is used in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral science contexts. It describes a specific, structured therapeutic procedure. - It is a form of exposure therapy. - The process is gradual and hierarchical, meaning exposures start with the least anxiety-provoking stimulus and progress to more challenging ones. - The relaxation component, often achieved through techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, is crucial to countercondition the fear response.
- Systematic desensitisation is often effective for treating specific phobias, such as arachnophobia or claustrophobia.
- The therapy involved creating an anxiety hierarchy as the first step in the systematic desensitisation process.
- The term can be discussed in contrast to other behavioral techniques like flooding (rapid, intense exposure) or cognitive restructuring.
- It is based on the principles of classical conditioning (counterconditioning) and reciprocal inhibition (the idea that a relaxed state inhibits the anxiety response).
- Systematic desensitization (noun): The American English spelling variant.
- Desensitisation therapy (noun): A more general term that may encompass similar techniques.
- Gradual exposure therapy (noun): A descriptive synonym highlighting the step-by-step nature of the process.
- Gradual exposure therapy
- Exposure therapy (broader category)
- Counterconditioning (describes the underlying learning principle)
- Anxiety hierarchy (noun): A list of feared situations ranked from least to most anxiety-provoking, used to structure the desensitisation.
- In vivo exposure (noun): Real-life exposure to the feared stimulus, which is a component of systematic desensitisation.
- Relaxation training (noun): The process of learning techniques to induce a relaxed state, a prerequisite for the therapy.
A therapist guides a patient through systematic desensitisation to reduce fear of heights.
- a technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety; client is exposed to the threatening situation under relaxed conditions until the anxiety reaction is extinguished