Question

7.2 Systematic Desensitization

Try it! Use what you learned about systematic desensitzation to create a step-by-step approach to help someone (or yourself) overcome a fear. Make up an example or use a real fear from your own experience and apply what you learned.

Make sure you show that you understand the two important parts to it!!!!

Answer 1

Systematic desensitization is a behavioral therapy based on the principle of classical conditioning. It is also known as gradual exposure therapy and is developed by Joseph wolpe. This therapy aims to improve the fears of phobia or to provide relaxation. When applying the systematic desensitization technique a therapist follow given following steps:

1. Inducing relaxation

2. Construction of anxiety hierarchy

3. Combining relaxation and anxiety hierarchy

The following given example elaborate the steps more clearly:

Say if Gus comes to you with a fear of lizard then the first step is to make Gus relax by deep breathing or chest breathing. Here's what you will instruct Gus :

? inhale through your nose

? hold the breath for 5sec

? exhale through your mouth

By practicing deep breathing exercises regularly it will lead to tigething of muscles and provide relaxation.

2. Construction of anxiety hierarchy - in this step Gus will be asked to list the triggers of lizard phobia starting from 0 to 10 where 0 will represent no anxiety at all and 10 indicate extreme anxiety. The list of triggers will be following:

0. Thinking about going into the room where there are lizards.

1. Moving towards the room

2. Reaching at the door of the room.

3. Thinking about the lizard that is in the room

4. Unlocking the door of the room

5. Opening the door of the room

6. Turning on the lights

7. Walking inside the room

8. Closing the door of the room

9. Seeing the lizard on the wall of the room

After preparing the hierarchy Gus will be asked to rate his fear according to his level of anxiety.

3. Pairing relaxation with anxiety hierarchy: in this step Gus will be asked to close his eyes and imagine himself alone in a room with lizard. Whenever he experience, he is asked to stop and practice relaxation technique. In this way the session continues until Gus will feel no fear of real lizards.

The two important elements of this therapy are inducing relaxation and presenting the fearful object in a hierarchy.