What is Exposure Therapy?
At the heart of exposure therapy is the understanding that directly addressing the feared thing (stimuli, situation, environment, etc.) is the most effective way to break the habit of avoidance and experience the reality that what we fear a) does not happen as we thought and/or b) if something “bad” does happen, we are able to get through and manage the distressing situation. Through avoidance, an aspect that can accompany anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, we allow the things we fear to run amok, growing bigger and bigger with repercussions that can be seemingly detrimental. The more we shy away from our fears, the larger they grow. This pattern only reinforces the fears, allowing them to take on more dreadful and dangerous qualities. So, in order to tackle these overgrown, imaginal fears we look them straight in the eye and sit with them (hang out in the distress to learn that it won’t last for ever and that what you fear does not happen as you imagine). Yes, this may sound like something your grandfather/grandmother may have yelled at you as you decided against participating in certain activities, however, exposure therapy is meant to be more deliberate, strategic and controlled than simply telling you to go out and do something. While there are a number of facets to how Exposure therapy is implemented, the overall efficacy of this intervention is quite high and has proven positive results. Working together, we look into the symptoms, fears and stories you tell yourself, and work to systematically build exposure situations to create meaningful change. When working with me, I meet you where you are and we collaborate on creating a treatment plan because you are the expert on yourself and your thoughts. Happy to set a time to talk and explore how we can partner!
