Introduction
The therapy of a phobia, in this case the specific phobia, can include not only psychotherapy but also drug treatment (medication against anxiety). If a drug is used, an “antidepressant” is often prescribed, or in rare cases an “anxiolytic” (anxiety reliever). In addition to drug treatment, there are other procedures that can be used to help people to cope with their severe anxiety.
These standard psychotherapeutic methods should be the focus of anxiety therapy. Model learning is not only responsible for the development of a phobia, but with this procedure, the phobia can be unlearned again. People learn and take over by observing other people and their behaviour.
The affected person can also make use of this aspect within the therapy. The person gets the opportunity to observe other people, such as the therapist. The therapist shows the person concerned which behavioral patterns should be shown in the specific anxiety-ridden situation.
By verbally explaining the behavior to be learned, the person can also learn to include it in his or her own behavioral repertoire and to carry it out independently later. Through this method, the person concerned sees that the anxious situation does not trigger a catastrophe, as is actually expected of the anxious person. Since fear and relaxation do not fit together, learning and applying relaxation in the specific situation should replace fear.
Desensitization means a systematic approach to the fear-inducing stimulus. This method is commonly known as “systematic desensitization”. In total, desensitization involves three successive different phases: 1. relaxation training: here the person concerned learns a relaxation technique, e.g. Progressive Muscle Relaxation according to Jacobson Other relaxation techniques are 2. creating an anxiety hierarchy: In this phase the person indicates in which situation he/she feels the least anxiety, up to the situation in which the most anxiety is felt.
This hierarchy now also represents the treatment plan. Starting from the situation/stimulus with the least stated fear, up to the highest fear trigger. 3) Actual desensitization: The person should now be confronted with the lowest fear trigger.
As soon as the first signs of anxiety appear, the person should relax with the help of the learned procedure. If the person concerned gives his or her consent, he or she will first be confronted with the anxiety triggering stimulus in the form of pictures, toys, etc. In the last step, the person is confronted with the actual stimulus, the situation that previously triggered the fear, in reality.
The goal is to make sure that the person remains in the situation without fleeing. With the help of the learned relaxation method, the person should try to get the fear in the situation under control. Each of these steps is only carried out with the consent of the person concerned.
Even if a relaxed feeling in the anxiety-stricken situation is very useful, forms of therapy such as direct confrontation are much more effective.
- Autogenic Training
- Breathing exercises
As the name suggests, this procedure represents the encounter with the anxiety-laden stimulus, the anxiety-laden situation. This happens under certain rules and always with the guidance of the therapist.
There are different procedures. The confrontation can happen in thought or in reality. Either one proceeds step by step, or there is a sudden direct confrontation with one of the strongly anxiety-stricken stimuli. The aim is that the person learns to stay in the fear-stricken situation and to bear the physical symptoms with the help of learned exercises until the fear is reduced and the person concerned has become accustomed to the situation. In the following, a method of stimulus confrontation is briefly explained:
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