Exposure Therapy for Simple Phobias

Exposure therapy originated in the treatment of simple or specific phobias, which means a marked fear around a certain object or situation, such as a needle, an animal, or flying.  Sometimes specific phobias can be around situations, such as public speaking.  When confronted with these feared objects or situations, clients tend to experience panic.  The most common coping strategy would be avoidance.  

Here is an example of how we would expose a client to a fear of heights.  We would begin with imaginary exercises.  We would have our client visualize themselves at the top of a cliff, or on a high balcony with a railing.  Then we would have them remove any safety measures in their imaginary heights exposure, such as the railing or a few feet of buffer at the edge of the cliff.  

Next the visualization will be made even more real through technology.  We may use a VR headset where a character is flying, assign an IMAX film about mountain climbing, or watch a video taken from the helmet cam of a skydiver.  

Finally, we would encourage the client to practice in vivo exposures. We may look over the edge of a railing on a balcony, or ride in a glass elevator.  We might send our clients on a switchback hike and urge them to spend time truly soaking in the views.  We repeat these exposures until our client reports that they are no longer feeling triggered, and maybe that they are actually bored of these trials! If our client is able to swim, a final graduation exposure might be to jump off the high platform at the local pool.

While this final exposure may be unthinkable for a client with heights phobia, a dedicated treatment program would allow most clients to reach this goal in as few as 8-10 sessions. 

Don’t let specific phobias hold you back in life.  Contact Kairos Wellness Collective for Exposure Treatment today.