A behavioral treatment that gradually exposes clients to feared objects, situations, or memories in a safe environment to reduce anxiety and avoidance behaviors. It works by allowing natural habituation to occur and disconfirming catastrophic expectations.
Based on principles of classical conditioning and habituation discovered in the early 20th century. The term 'exposure' comes from Latin 'exponere' meaning 'to put forth' or 'to display,' reflecting the therapy's core technique of confronting rather than avoiding feared stimuli.
Exposure therapy works on the same principle as learning to ride a bike—the more you practice something scary in a safe way, the less scary it becomes! The key insight is that anxiety naturally decreases over time when you stay in contact with what you fear, proving to your brain that the danger isn't real.
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