“Face your fear and it will disappear.” The meaning of that popular adage is along the theory of exposure therapy. Exposure therapy can help people conquer their fears of situations, activities or things that instill in them fear and/or anxiety. Therapists can employ it with patients suffering from disorders related to phobias, post-traumatic stress, social situations, panic attacks, obsessions, compulsions or general anxiety.
The therapists at the office of Hackensack want each patient to get the most out of life. They know that psychological issues can stand in the way of your finding happiness and satisfaction. Your therapist will work with you to uncover the reasons behind the issues that are holding you back from being and feeling your best.
Many people try to avoid things and situations that bring up personal fear. Exposure therapy puts patients in a simulation of a thing or situation but in a safe environment. The point is to help the patients reduce that evasion and take away their fear.
For example, a therapist has a patient who suffers from agoraphobia (fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one’s own home or of being in places from which escape is difficult). The therapist accompanies the patient to a bustling indoor shopping mall and “talks the patient through” the experience so he/she becomes emotionally comfortable in the mall, which breaks his/her pattern of fear and avoidance.
Taking the patient to a mall is an example of in vivo exposure—facing your fear in real life. The three other main types of exposure are:
Imaginal. You’re afraid of cats, so you picture being on a floor surrounded by cats.
Virtual reality. You’re too terrified to fly in an airplane, so the therapist has you use a flight simulator.
Interoceptive. You that fear a physical sensation implies you’re in harm’s way. You’re afraid that if you become lightheaded it means you’re having a stroke. Your therapist will tell you to sit still for a while and then stand quickly to purposely induce lightheadedness.
Hackensack’s reputation for excellence is based on providing experienced and compassionate care with an unparalleled level of skill to give our patients the very best treatment results. For more information about our many services, give us a call today. Let’s start a conversation.
