Systematic Desensitisation

Desensitisation Hierarchy

• Relaxation- relax muscles completely
• Patient and Therapist construct a hierarchy- A series of scenes creating progressive anxiety
• Visualising the phobia

Invivo- confront their fear head on, learning to relax in the presence of objects or images that would normally trigger anxiety.

Invitro- visualising the feared stimulus

Flooding- No hierarchy, sudden shock to the phobia, not as effective because they havent learned ways to deal witht eh response.

Evaluation

P: Strength, Effectiveness.

EX: Gilroy followed 43 paitients who have been treated for a spider phobia in 3 45 minute sessions of Systematic desensitisation (SD). A control group treated by relaxation wihthout exposure. At both 3 and 33 months after the treatment the SD group were less fearful than the relaxation group.

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