Home --> AJ's Place: The Shelter Plan --> Therapy --> Exposure Therapy Exposure Therapy Exposure therapy is based on the principle that we get used to things that are just annoying and not truly dangerous. This is called habituation, and it occurs naturally in over 95% of people. For example, if you visit a friend in a large city who lives in a second-floor apartment just beside an elevated railroad, it would be very annoying every time a train screeched by, shaking the building and rattling the windows to the point that conversation became difficult. One might even say to the friend, "How do you live in this din?" The friend might answer, "What din?" If we only visit, we leave with a belief that our friend lives in an impossible situation; if we stay in the apartment for a week or two, we are no longer annoyed by passing trains and may not even be aware of them. Exposure therapy is based on the idea that this kind of habituation must occur in the person who has been traumatized if they are to overcome PTSD. Exposure therapy asks patients to confront, in a safe way, the very situations, objects, people and memories they have attached to the trauma (and are probably very consciously avoiding). Exposure therapy is the opposite of the typical, self-prescribed avoidance approach. Because while avoidance may provide temporary relief, it just doesn't last. Facing these triggers is the key to reducing the frequency and severity of PTSD symptoms. Exposure may be done in vivo (in real life) or in imagination. In vivo exposure is more effective than imaginal exposure. While anxiety or other discomfort may get worse in the first few minutes of in vivo exposure, it is important to continue exposure until the discomfort has diminished. Escaping discomfort only reinforces avoidance as a coping tactic, and produces all the limitations associated with avoidance—like avoiding safe places or situations that might be fun, beneficial or essential for a career and a full family life. It also increases the likelihood that the anxiety might spread, first to similar triggers and eventually to triggers that have little or nothing to do with the original anxiety. Examples of exposure in vivo are resuming driving after being in a traumatizing accident or returning to a now-safe site where an assault once occurred. Exposure in imagination involves the person recounting traumatic memories until they lose their sting. This can be done by saying them aloud repeatedly, writing, reading and rewriting a biography of the events or recording them on a tape and playing them over and over until they are no longer distressing. The above information was found at PSTD Facts For Health.
Exposure therapy is a type of behavior therapy in which the patient confronts a feared situation, object, thought, or memory. Sometimes, exposure therapy involves reliving a traumatic experience in a controlled, therapeutic environment. The goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the distress, physical or emotional, felt in certain situations. Exposure therapy may be used in dealing with anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress. During exposure therapy treatment, a therapist helps the patient remember a disturbing thought, traumatic situation, or feared object. The therapist also helps the patient deal with the unpleasant emotions or physical symptoms that may arise from this exposure. Through confronting the situations and thoughts that cause stress, patients are often able to learn coping skills, eventually reducing or even eliminating symptoms. Patients are usually encouraged to talk about their feelings during exposure therapy and to learn ways to face fears and stressful emotions. They are also encouraged to learn news ways of viewing fears and distressing situations. Hypnosis is sometimes used as part of this type of therapy. Even virtual reality techniques are used at times. Sometimes, relaxation techniques are taught as part of exposure therapy. These techniques may be very helpful in dealing with both physical and emotional distress. They are intended to help the patient maintain control, even when faced with the situation, object, or thought that causes fear or distress. Often, breathing exercises can be effective interventions taught in conjunction with exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is sometimes compared to desensitization. Unlike desensitization, however, exposure therapy produces anxiety in the patient on purpose. Desensitization, on the other hand, combines relaxation with gradual introduction to the anxiety-producing object, thought, or situation. Furthermore, exposure therapy involves exposing the patient to the most distressing thought or situation first, while systematic desensitization begins with that which causes the least fear. Exposure therapy may include flooding or graduated techniques. When flooding techniques are used, the patient may be exposed to the frightening or distressing thought, situation, or object for as much as two hours at a time. Graduated techniques are considered gentler because the patient may face the distressing stimuli in shorter chunks of time and have more control over the duration of the exposure. The above information was located at Wise Geek. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |