flooding

Thân thiện

A therapist uses flooding to help a client overcome a specific fear.

Definition

Noun 1. The act or process of covering an area with water, especially when water overflows its normal boundaries: This refers to the event of a large amount of water covering land that is usually dry, often due to heavy rain, a river overflowing, or a dam breaking. 2. A therapeutic technique in behavior therapy: This is a specific psychological method where a client is exposed to a large amount of a distressing stimulus until their negative reaction diminishes.

Examples of Usage

• As a natural event:
  • The heavy rains caused severe flooding in the coastal town.
  • After the hurricane, the flooding damaged hundreds of homes.
  • The city built barriers to prevent future flooding.
• As a therapeutic technique:
  • The therapist used flooding to treat the patient's intense fear of spiders.
  • In flooding, the individual confronts the source of their anxiety directly and immediately.

Advanced Usage

• "Flash flooding": A specific, rapid, and dangerous type of flooding that occurs with little or no warning, typically due to intense rainfall over a short period.
  • The weather service issued a warning for possible flash flooding in the canyon areas.

Variants and Related Words

• Flood (verb/noun): The root word. As a verb, it means to cover with water or to arrive in overwhelming quantities. As a noun, it can refer to the specific event of a flood.
  • The river will flood the plains. (verb)
  • The flood destroyed the bridge. (noun)
• Flooded (adjective): Describing something covered with or affected by a flood.
  • The flooded streets were impassable.

Synonyms

• Inundation: A formal word for flooding, emphasizing being overwhelmed by water.
• Deluge: A severe flood or a heavy downpour of rain; can also be used metaphorically.
• Overflow: The act of flowing over the edges or limits.

Related Phrases

• Flooding in/with: While not a phrasal verb, this structure is common to describe being overwhelmed by a non-water substance, often metaphorically.
  • The office was flooded with applications after the job posting.
  • Memories came flooding in when she visited her old school.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a technique used in behavior therapy; client is flooded with experiences of a particular kind until becoming either averse to them or numbed to them

Từ đồng nghĩa

• implosion therapy