What is Exposure Therapy?

You may have heard me or other specialists talk about Exposure Therapy being an excellent treatment for certain phobias, anxieties and Selective Mutism. I hear from some  parents that they aren’t sure if their child can handle facing their fears, ‘won’t that scare them even more?’ they ask. I can understand those concerns and this means we simply need to talk a bit more about the cycle of anxiety and avoidance. 

We are all at times faced with situations that are difficult or uncomfortable. Sometimes we might avoid those uncomfortable situations (think about putting off returning a phone call or having a difficult conversation). Avoiding (putting something off) works and it will reduce that feeling of discomfort in the short run! Repeated avoidance, however, can become ingrained and we can miss out on all that life has to offer. 

How do we combat this pattern of avoidance? We have to start facing those situations that are uncomfortable rather than avoiding them. We do this in baby steps that we help create together in a therapy session. We create ladders (aka hierarchies) and slowly work on facing those fears in small steps. In a person who, for example, has a dental fear, we might watch a video of someone at the dentist, walk up to a dentist office and sit in the lobby, walk into the office and look at the dental chair, all in an effort to help that person face the situation that they were avoiding and with the ultimate goal of being able to get their teeth cleaned at the dentist. I am not interested in how fast we move thru this ladder as much as I’m helping a person put forth the effort they need, even if the progress feels a little slow at first. 

It works! If we are willing to face our fears in small steps, our anxiety levels will naturally come down. It’s science!  But we need to be willing to practice and do the work. This is where having a therapist who specializes in exposure therapy comes in. They can help create a hierarchy and coach a person on the coping skills to help them face their fears. The confidence one gets when they face their fears is like a snowball, it grows in momentum and they feel more confident to handle more situations on their fear ladder. 

Do you want to learn more about Exposure Therapy for fears, phobias and Selective Mutism? Contact Denise below.