Psychology / Unit 12 Psych 1399 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Exposure Therapy
Captions available
The idea
Exposure therapy treats anxiety disorders by confronting feared stimuli without the avoidance that has prevented extinction.
In practice
A person with contamination fears touches a doorknob and does not wash, until the anxiety declines on its own.
Where people slip
Avoidance is what maintains anxiety by preventing new learning. Removing it is the active ingredient.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Psychology