Types of Exposure Therapy for Anxiety

When something becomes anxiety-provoking for us, it is common for many of us to want to avoid it altogether. This can feel intuitive--if something causes a negative emotion for us, who wouldn’t want to avoid it?? However, many of the things that we avoid are found in everyday life. Once we begin to avoid more things, we may begin to limit the things that we do, and find ourselves becoming more and more fearful over time. This becomes problematic, as it can seriously impact our ability to function in life. But how do we get over this fear? Is there any way that we can overcome this fear?

What is Exposure Therapy?

Exposure therapy is a therapeutic approach aimed at helping people to face their fears. The exposure of the feared stimulus is presented in a safe environment, with the goal of reducing the amount of anxiety brought about by the object, place, or situation.

Most commonly, exposure therapy is used for phobias, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.

Types of Exposure Therapy

There are several forms of exposure therapy used for the treatment of anxiety disorders. The primary forms include:

• Imaginal Exposure:

Imaginal exposure includes imagining the feared stimulus with vivid detail. This form of exposure therapy can include describing details of the feared object, place, or situation. This act recalling the feared stimulus can help to reduce some of the fear associated with facing it.

• Virtual Reality Exposure:

Virtual reality exposure is most often used when real life exposure is not practical or possible. This includes times when someone has a fear of flying. Being able to board a flight on a regular basis is not a practical option. However, what may be more practical is using virtual reality equipment to simulate flying while still at the office.

• Interoceptive Exposure:

Physical sensations, such as increased heart rate or rapid breathing, can be feared warning signs for many people, especially those struggling with panic disorder. Interoceptive exposure works to induce these biological reactions to help to reduce the fear associated with them. This can include running or jumping for a short period of time to increase heart rate or breathing rapidly to induce a feeling of shortness of breath.

• In Vivo Exposure:

In vivo exposure is an exposure therapy technique that involves directly facing the feared object, place, or situation. For example, using this technique for a person with a phobia of dogs would include actually being around and petting a dog.

A Note on Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy can seem really daunting at first. It is completely normal and okay to have some worries and fears about beginning exposure therapy. It is important to talk with your therapist about how you are feeling throughout the process so they know how to best support you. Exposure therapy is a supported treatment approach for people dealing with phobias, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder. Stay tuned for future blogs on pacing for exposure therapy and how exposure therapy helps!