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The behavioral approach to phobias - Coggle Diagram

- - - - 2:Relaxation. The therapist teaches the patient how to relax as much as possible. Techniques include breathing exercises, mental imagery techniques or relaxant drugs such as valium.
      - 3:exposure. The patient is finally exposed to the phobic stimulus while relaxed. This takes place in several sessions, starting at the bottom of the anxiety hierarchy. Treatment is successful when a patient is in a situation that is high up on their anxiety hierarchy and they manage to stay relaxed.
      - 1:the anxiety hierarchy is put together by the patient and therapist. This is a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus, ranked from least to most frightening.
  - - - Gilroy et al followed up on 42 patients ho had been treated for arachnophobia in three sessions of systematic desensitisation. Spider phobia was assessed on many levels including the spider questionnaire and by assessing their response to spider. A control group was treated by relaxation without exposure. At both 3 months and 33 months the systematic desensitisation group were less fearful than the relaxation group. this shows the treatment is effective in treating spider phobias and that it has long lasting effects.