Updated on 4/13/2022

If you are exploring prolonged exposure therapy as a possible form of treatment and response prevention, here are some key considerations to keep in mind before diving in.

Exposure therapy can help.Looking for a therapist specializing in exposure therapy?Learn more

Exposure therapy can help.Looking for a therapist specializing in exposure therapy?

Exposure therapy can help.

Looking for a therapist specializing in exposure therapy?

Learn more

“Exposure therapy is one of my preferred methods to help clients with anxiety, fears, and phobias, mainly when traveling, flying, and confronting heights. Seeing them come back to their session after doing something they never imagined they could do is very rewarding. They feel empowered and more motivated to continue working on other issues.”

Talkspace therapist Cynthia Catchings, LCSW-S, LCSWC, CFTP

How Does Exposure Therapy Work?

A safe and proven cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy technique, exposure therapy is used in the treatment of chronic PTSD as well asother damaging phobias. It is a powerful means of helping a person overcome crippling fears, anxieties, a traumatic event, and the avoidance of dreaded situations. In time, exposure therapy treatment aims to improve a person’s quality of life. During exposure treatment, the therapist works with a client to determine the best possible method for the type of trauma they experienced.

“Exposure therapy can help mitigate symptoms and negative responses to anxiety, phobias and trauma, but it’s important to remember there can be limitations and drawbacks. A trained therapist and treatment plan, can help you better understand the potential for worsening or the return of symptoms but also the value in incremental change, which can help widen the scope of healing.”

Talkspace therapist Elizabeth Keohan, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW

Types ofExposure TherapyTreatment

The goal of exposure therapy treatment is to reduce a person’s fearful reaction to a painful memory or stimulus, and there are a few different exposure methods to enable an effective experience. You and your therapist determine the bestexposure typefor your particular situation, and it can include one of the following:

Who Can Benefit fromTherapeuticExposureTherapy?

This form of effective treatment is scientifically demonstrated to be a useful means to treat a broad set of mental health conditions including:

Numerousreportshave studied the benefits of undergoing exposure therapy, with a host of positive outcomes reported for those that have a specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, or chronic PTSD. Over time, some people find their negative reactions to feared stimuli decrease or at least weaken when it comes to previously learned negative associations. Additionally, some people find a greater sense of self-efficacy after learning they are capable of confronting a fear or anxiety, finding they can now attach more realistic beliefs about feared situations.

Taking The Next Step

While there is a large amount of behavior research that supports the benefits ofexposure therapyas an effective treatment for anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other phobias, it is essential to find a therapist who specializes in this form of treatment before getting started. While there are different phasing techniques to lessen any re-traumatization, as well as many different types of exposure, the key is to find a therapist who can implement the best treatment for your unique situation. When done effectively, the results can be life-changing.

Sources:

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/anxiety/exposure-therapy-anxiety-disorders

Kaplan JS. Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders.Psychiatric Times. Published online September 6, 2011. doi:https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/node/735910

https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy

American Psychological Association. What Is Exposure Therapy?https://www.apa.org.https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy. Published July 2017.

Kaczkurkin AN, Foa EB. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: An update on the empirical evidence. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610618/. Published September 2015. Accessed September 7, 2021.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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