Exposure

Phobias

Exposure has strong evidence-based support for specific phobias. From a behavioral perspective, specific phobias persist because we tend to avoid the things we are afraid of, which means we do not experience the opportunity to learn that we can tolerate the fear, that the fear will come down on its own without avoiding or escaping, and that our feared outcomes often do not come true or are not as terrible as we imagine. Exposure therapies are individually-tailored to gradually encourage us to face our fears – starting with situations that are only mildly anxiety-provoking and then working our way up to our most feared situations. Exposure can be done both in person and through imaginal (imagination/visualization) exercises.

OCD

Exposure and response prevention has strong-evidence-based support for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It involves 1) provoking obsessions and maintaining the subsequent anxiety, and 2) refraining from engaging in rituals. By facing our fears without engaging in the rituals which temporarily decrease anxiety, we open ourselves up to the opportunity to learn that we can tolerate the discomfort associated with anxiety until the anxiety decreases on it’s own. Over time, the connection between the obsessions and compulsions weakens and anxiety decreases.

Typically, exposure therapies are combined with other cognitive-behavioural techniques, such as challenging unhelpful thoughts and learning relaxation training.