Systematic desensitisation is a type of CBT (Cognitive behavioral Therapy) mainly focussing on the behavioral component. It is used for people who have specific types of Phobias e.g. Agoraphobia (fear of being trapped).
It is very simple but an effective treatment. Initially the patient is taught some relaxation exercises to use during the therapy. The therapist will usually sit with the patient and come up with a list of situations that cause anxiety to the patient. The patient will then list them in a hierarchal fashion with the least anxiety provoking situation to the most anxiety provoking situation. They will start with the least anxiety provoking situation exposing the patient to it and ask them to utilise the relaxation techniques to prevent the anxiety. This has to be done repeatedly and once this situation does not cause any anxiety, the patient will move to the next step in a graded manner.
This requires active participation and repeated practice from the patient but the therapist can help with this initially.
Systematic desensitization would involve a schedule of gradual exposure to a situation, or a food or drink, or a fear, the purpose of which would be to enable the subject to eventually accept the situation previously unable to handle.
Patients imagine a situation they fear, while the therapist employs techniques to help the patient relax, helping the person cope with their fear reaction and eventually eliminate the anxiety altogether.
exposure therapy
Systematic desensitization therapy helps people learn to relax, analyze, and identify and learn to overcome stressors. It has the benefit of relieving anxiety and fear caused by phobias and other mental disorders.
The behavior therapy methods of flooding and systematic desensitization are both quite different ways of overcoming a phobia. While flooding forces you to confront your fears, systematic desensitization teaches how to develop relaxation skills then eventually setup a hierarchy system ie. being scared of spiders is not as bad as being scared of public humiliation.
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In both situations, a subject is voluntarily exposed to a noxious, anxiety-producing or otherwise aversive stimulus for the purpose of overcoming the subject's strong response to the stimulus. There may be other similarities, but no others are coming to mind.
It is also known as exposure therapy
visualization.
Phobias and Anxiety
counterconditioning
Is systematic desnsitization effective in treating children and adolescents? maybe a bubblebath? a good book?
Systematic desensitization therapy helps people learn to relax, analyze, and identify and learn to overcome stressors. It has the benefit of relieving anxiety and fear caused by phobias and other mental disorders.
The behavior therapy methods of flooding and systematic desensitization are both quite different ways of overcoming a phobia. While flooding forces you to confront your fears, systematic desensitization teaches how to develop relaxation skills then eventually setup a hierarchy system ie. being scared of spiders is not as bad as being scared of public humiliation.
systematic desensitization
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in long term run, that would be flooding and systematic desensitization
virtual reality therapy
systematic desensitization
most systematic