Muhammed Ali.PK

MSc APPLIED

PSYCHOLOGY

PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY

muhammedalipk9@gmail.com

SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATIONAS AN

INTERVENSION OF PHOBIAS

Anxiety reduction intervention developed by Joseph Wolpe(1958)

Based on the principles of classical conditioning

In desensitization ,a counteracting stimulus such as relaxation is used to replace anxiety on a step-by-step basis.

It is often the first treatment of choice for phobias

Involves 3 basic steps, on average, takes about ten to thirty sessions to complete, depending on the client ,the problem, and the intensity of the anxiety. Those steps are :

a. Training in deep muscle relaxationb. Construction of a hierarchy representing

emotion-provoking situations c. Graduated pairing though imagery of the

items on the hierarchy with the relaxed state of the client

HIERARCHY CONSTRUCTION• It involves identification of various

situations that evoke the conditioned emotion to be desensitized ,such as anxiety.

• It may include either situations the client has already experienced or anticipates in the future or something extrinsic to the client ,such as snakes or airplanes as well as something intrinsic such as “feeling of going nuts”.

There are three types of hierarchies, depending on the parameters and nature of the client’s problem. Those are :

Spatio-temporal:-Consists of items that relate to physical or spatial dimensions ,such as distance from a feared object or time dimensions ,such as time remaining before a feared or avoided situations

Thematic :-Consists of items representing different parameters surrounding the emotion provoking situation

Personal hierarchy:- Consists of items representing memories or uncomfortable ruminations about a specific person

o After each item is listed on a separate index card ,they are arranged by the client in a graduated order from the least anxiety provoking to the most anxiety provoking.

o The ordering process also facilitated with the help of particular scaling or spacing method- most commonly used method is SUDS or Subjective Units of Disturbances.

Particularly useful in instances where the client has sufficient skills to cope with the situation or perform a desired response but avoid doing so or performs below par because of interfering anxiety and accompanying arousal.

Inappropriate when the target situation is inherently dangerous or when the person lacks appropriate skills to handle the situation

Lets take an example..! What are you afraid of..?

ARACHNOPHOBIA

Talking about spiders Looking at a picture of a spider Looking at an actual spider not moving, in a cage,

from a distance Looking at an actual spider, not moving, in a cage,

getting closer Looking at a moving spider in a cage Looking at a moving spider outside of a cage Reaching for the spider Petting the spider Holding the spider in your hands

Here’s a sample hierarchy:

Reference The professional counselor, 3 rd edition:

Harold L. Hackney,L.Sherilyn Cormierhttp://panicdisorder.about.com/od/treatments/a/SystemD

esen.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16584http://phobialist.com/treat.htmlGoldfried, M. R. & Davison, G. C. Clinical behavior therapy. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1976. http://www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic- Desensitisation.htmlhttp://uwf.edu/wmikulas/Webpage/behavior/chapterfive.h

tmhttp://www.dentalfearcentral.org/help/psychology/desensitisation/

Thank Ψou