Therapy Techniques - Systematic Desensitization

By:  Kimberly Swanson, M.S. – Psychology, CNA

Systematic desensitization is a behavioral therapy that is based on the ideology of classical conditioning.  It is the foundational root of counter conditioning.  This type of therapy technique works on reducing anxiety by linking negative stimuli with positive outcomes (Rosenthal, 2008).   

During the 1950s, Wolpe created systematic desensitization in which the objective is to elevate fear when reacting to a phobia. Often times these phobia reactions are replaced with conditional stimuli eventually leads to counter conditioning (McLeod, 2008).  There are three steps for this type of treatment (McLeod, 2008):

• 1.      Patients learn to do relaxation and breathing exercise (e.g. medication and yoga).
• 2.      Patients develops a fear ranking system starting with the stimuli that creates the least amount of anxiety (fear/stress) and leading up to the things that leads to the highest level of fear (fear through visual imagery).  This step is critical because it provides a foundation for the therapy treatment.
• 3.     Patient works up the levels of rankings and starting with less fearful stimuli through the use of relaxation strategies.  As they overcome one fear level, then they are ready to tackle and conquer the next level.  If clients regressed to lower fear level, then they must repeat the relaxation techniques until they are ready to move forward.

References

McLeod, S. A. (2008). Systematic Desensitization. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html.

Rosenthal, H.  (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling (3rd Edition).  New York:  Routledge.

Copyright in 2016 by ©Messenger Publishing, Inc.