What is Exposure Therapy?

After experiencing trauma, avoidance of situations, objects, people, and places related to the trauma can be a common response due to fear and anxiety. This avoidance can be a major barrier in managing day-to-day life and lead to the fear becoming even worse long-term. 

What is Exposure Therapy? 

Exposure therapy is a technique used to help tackle fears, until the situation no longer causes us anxiety. Occupational Therapists use Exposure Therapy to help clients get back to their meaningful activities and improve functioning in their daily lives.  

Who would benefit from Exposure Therapy? 

Exposure Therapy has been shown to be a helpful treatment for:

• PTSD 

• Phobias 

• Panic Disorder 

• Anxiety 

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  

How does it work? 

Exposure Therapy works through facing your fears, one step at a time, gradually and repeatedly. In the long-term, it helps to demonstrate that these situations are manageable, and not as dangerous as once perceived. 

A hierarchy of fears is created by the client and therapist. You will work together to list feared situations and the level of anxiety and distress felt in those situations from 1-100. After rating the list from least to most distressing, specific goals are created to allow for graded exposure, eventually reaching the most fearful situation. Throughout exposure, you will learn to manage feelings of distress and coping strategies. 

How long is treatment? 

It typically lasts 8-15 weekly sessions. However, everyone is different and may need more or less sessions. 

If you have any questions or are interested in receiving therapy services, reach out to Holistic Annex.