Knowra Exposure therapy Exposure therapy Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment that reduces fear and avoidance through planned, repeated contact with feared situations, memories, objects, or sensations.
Extinction learning : A learning process in which a previously conditioned response weakens when its expected outcome no longer occurs. Repeated exposure can build new safety learning without erasing the original fear association.
Cognitive behavioral therapy : A structured psychotherapy that targets patterns of thought and behavior linked to emotional distress. Exposure is commonly delivered within this broader treatment approach.
Systematic desensitization : A behavioral treatment that pairs a graded fear hierarchy with relaxation training. It contrasts with exposure approaches that do not require relaxation as a competing response.
Conditioned fear : A fear response acquired when a previously neutral cue becomes associated with threat. Exposure often targets learned fear attached to cues that are safe in the present.
Inhibitory learning : A learning account in which new associations inhibit, rather than erase, older learned responses. This model explains why fear can return despite successful exposure.
In vivo exposure : Exposure conducted in real situations involving feared objects, activities, or places. It directly targets avoidance of actual situations, such as public transport or social settings.
Flooding (psychology) : An exposure method involving intense, prolonged contact with a feared stimulus, often without gradual steps. It represents a more abrupt format than gradual exposure, though both involve contact with fear cues.
Fear hierarchy : An ordered list of feared situations or cues, commonly ranked by anticipated distress. Clinicians may use it to plan and pace exposure exercises.
Avoidance learning : Learning to escape or prevent an aversive outcome, often reinforced by immediate relief. Exposure interrupts the short-term relief that keeps avoidance in place.
Interoceptive exposure : Exposure to bodily sensations that are feared or misinterpreted, often used for panic symptoms. It deliberately evokes sensations such as breathlessness or a racing heart.
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