Systematic desensitization, also known as graduated exposure therapy which was developed by Wolpe, is one of the most effective method for reducing phobias, fears, and other anxiety disorders. This therapy uses counter-conditioning, a reverse classical conditioning technique, to unlearn or reduce the intensity of a conditioned response by establishing a new relaxation response to the conditioned stimulus gradually. Due to the fact that relaxation is incompatible with anxiety and fear, it then follows that relaxation response can counter fearful response. For Chandler to overcome his phobia of dogs, three critical concepts of systematic desensitization must be taken into account namely: relaxation training, fear hierarchy, and reciprocal inhibition. …show more content…
Chandler will be presented with the least anxiety provoking activity while practicing the relaxation techniques as he goes up the fear hierarchy. When Chandler can remain relaxed while the first stimulus is presented, he then gradually proceeds to the next stimuli. For example, Chandler already succeeded in looking at a picture of the dog while staying calm. He can now move on to watching a television show involving dogs. If Chandler becomes upset with a stimuli, he can go back to the earlier stage to recover from fear and be in a relaxed state once again. For example, Chandler becomes really uncomfortable while petting the dog. He can move back to the earlier stage of walking the dog with a dog walker. Chandler will continue to move up until he completely does all items in the fear hierarchy without evoking anymore anxiety or fear. By surpassing this session, the therapist can conclude that the therapy of dog phobia using systematic desensitization has …show more content…
Most people, with phobias such as fear of animals, clowns, and closed spaces and so on, have always tried to avoid the feared stimuli which can reduce anxiety but only temporarily. In systematic desensitization, on the other hand, the feared stimuli is directly confronted which leads to a more stable and permanent treatment. Generalizability as a concept is also put into account because not only will Chandler face a German Shepherd but also other dogs along the process. Common problems that may arise in the learning program would be the length of time the research requires, wrong order of placement in the levels of hierarchy, and the persistent level or anxiety after numerous cycles. Systematic desensitization may take 6-8 sessions on average depending on the severity of the phobia. It is labor intensive and time consuming. In addition, due to the process controlled by the patient, there may be wrong placements of the orders of hierarchy which can lead to low levels of anxiety in the succeeding stages and constancy of the phobia even after countless trials and cycles. Therefore, the patient must be keen while creating and rating his/ her own fear
Just imagine for a moment that you have a cynophobia or the fear of dogs, would this be how you would feel. Driving down the road the oil light comes on. "I must stop the car to add more oil or I will damage the car engine. This looks like a good place to pull over. I'll just stop in front of this house. The oil is in the trunk, so I'll pop the top first, then get the oil out of the trunk. OK, I have the oil, but what if there is a dog at this house. Hurry, I have to hurry. A dog might come running out and bark at me any minute. Just get the oil in the engine. I can't my hands are shaking. Don't worry, there is no dog. Just get the oil in the engine. I don't care if I spill it, just get some in the engine. Take another look around, is there a dog anywhere. OK, the oils in, now hurry get back in the car. I can't breath. I'm safely back in the car, now just take a minute and breath. When will my hands stop shaking." This is how a person with a phobia of dogs might feel. There is no dog around anywhere in sight, but the thought of a dog running at them barking is enough to cause a panic attack. In "Exploring Psychology" David G. Myers defines phobia as "an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation" (432). This paper will explore the history, causes, effects, and treatment of Phobias.
The procedures leading to the acquisition and elimination of agoraphobia are based on a number of behavioural principles. The underlying principle is that of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus (Weiten, 1998). Eliminating agoraphobia is basically achieving self-control through behaviour modification. Behaviour modification is systematically changing behaviour through the application of the principles of conditioning (Weiten, 1998). The specific principle used here is systematic desensitisation. The two basic responses displayed are anxiety and relaxation, which are incompatible responses. Systematic desensitisation works by reconditioning people so that the conditioned stimulus elicits relaxation instead of anxiety. This is called counterconditioning. Counterconditioning is an attempt to reverse the process of classical conditioning by associating the crucial stimulus with a new conditioned response (Weiten, 1998). This technique's effectiveness in eliminating agoraphobia is well documented.
The US Census in 2000 has reported that, during the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century there has been a large increase in the number of elderly people living in the United States of America, which will likely result in an increased incidence of dementia. In recent years, dog-assisted therapy has been widely regarded as a generally accepted method of providing elderly residents with good feelings and an increase in self-maintenance behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy on elderly residents with dementia. I predict that dog-assisted therapy will help elderly people with dementia with their behavioral and emotional problems such as aggression, agitation and psychosis.
Also, behavior therapy was used to treat a bread variety of psychological disorders with a diverse population of clients. Wilson (2011), stated multiple disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, eating and weight disorders, sexual problems, pain management, and hypertension to have been related to a successful treatment while using this approach. Additionally, the procedures for behavior therapy are used in the fields of developmental disabilities, mental illness, education and special education, community psychology, health-related behaviors, medicine, and gerontology, which was stated by (Miltenberger, 2012; Wilson 2011) cited by Corey
First, I have the client form a hierarchy of different fears. Next, I give a training session on relaxation, showing them how to control their breathing and release tension through meditation. In this step, they learn to relax when presented with their fear, for it is impossible to be both relaxed and anxious at the same time. Finally, my clients are presented with their fears according to the hierarchy they had documented. Thus, I start with the lesser ones and build up to the greater fears. Of course, if you’re terrified of spiders, I’m not going to put a tarantula on your arm. We would start with maybe something as simple as a picture of someone looking at a spider at the zoo or seeing a spider on television. Then I use the relaxation techniques to control their anxiety so they are able to lessen their anxiety when confronted with their
...6. Generalization from the original phobic stimulus to stimuli of a similar nature will occur; 7. Noxious experiences which occur under conditions of excessive confinement are more likely to produce phobic reactions; 8. Neutral stimuli which are associated with a noxious experience, may develop motivating properties. This acquired drive is termed the fear drive; 9. Responses (such as avoidance) which reduce the fear drive are reinforced; 10. Phobic reactions can be acquired vicariously (Rachman 31). These theories are used to identify how people obtain phobias and other situations that may occur with phobias.
In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.
In this treatment, “clients are repeatedly exposed to objects or situations that produce anxiety, obsessive fears, and compulsive behaviors, but they are told to resist performing the behaviors they feel so bound to preform” (Comer, 2015). Individuals going through this treatment will often find it extremely difficult to resist the urge to preform these compulsions, or behaviors, therefor the therapist will often be the first to set this example. This treatment can be conducted in an individual, or group
It involves the removal of attention that the animal may be seeking through the undesirable behavior. This technique is especially effective in dealing with dogs that jump up on people to gain attention. Ignoring the behavior and only rewarding the dog with attention when it is not jumping up are the keys to conditioning the animal away from the
One of the characteristics of a phobia is a feeling that is greater than the fear of a situation or object with an exaggeration of the danger associated with the said situation or even object. This persistent fear often leads to an anxiety disorder that leads an individual to develop mechanisms that ensure one avoids the object or situation that triggers the occurrence of the phobia. Phobias can have highly debilitating effects on an individual including the development of depression, isolation, substance abuse, and even suicide. Many people take phobia for granted however, it is clear that it has the potential to impair the quality of life for both the affected and the people around them. The fact that many of the phobias are manageable using
“Lazarus was the first psychologist to apply desensitization techniques for treating phobias in group therapy sessions.” (Alic, 2001, pg. 2) By the 1960’s Lazarus had decided that the therapy movement he had initiated utilizing the stimulus-response mechanisms of behaviorist psychology, was too limited for effective psychotherapy.
...first started out with cats being exposed to mild shocks accompanied by specific sounds and visual stimuli. The cats connected the shocks with the sounds or visual stimuli that produced fear in them. When the cats were exposed to the same sounds or visual stimuli plus receiving food instead of shocks, they eventually unlearned their fears. Eventually this behavior therapy would be applied to humans.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) is also often paired with systematic desensitization. CBT is focused on regaining control of reactions to stress and stimuli, ultimately reducing the feeling of helplessness (Palazzolo, 2014). One specific case of Psychotherapeutic Treatment for Aquaphobia takes a closer look at the break down of how systematic desensitization would be applied. Initially, the patient would be given information on their phobia, making it seem as unthreatening as possible and by showing them that they are not alone, as this disorder is common and that there is a cognitive approach to treat their condition. You first explain to the patient step by step the therapy that is going to take place. You ask them to carefully watch themselves throughout each situation and take notice at what parts they find challenging or lead them to avoidance. It is also suggested that the patients rates her anxiety during those situations on a scale from 1-10. The duration of this therapy would be approximately 13 sessions, meeting once a week for 30-45 minutes. The first three sessions are centered around their life and story of their disability, the diagnosis and the analysis of the disorder while working out a review of each sessions and what their ultimate goal
Treatment is available and extremely helpful for those suffering with a phobia. Medications and therapy both work well in the majority of cases. In a majority of cases a portion of the therapy is dedicated to causal exposure to the phobia. The exposure is gradually increased until the individual is comfortable in the situation without experiencing an anxiety attack. Group therapy is also beneficial as the individual is exposed to other suffering through the same fears.
It is believed that Aversion therapy is questionable in it’s success for the long term, according