Systematic desensitization, a valuable resource against phobias

Phobias are part of the most frequent and widespread psychological disorders among the Western population, and it is estimated that they affect approximately 10% to 15% of it.

Fortunately, psychology has developed methods and techniques that make it possible to overcome this type of problem, and in fact, it is one of the psychopathological disorders that respond best to treatment.

In this article we will see What is one of those forms of intervention used against phobias: systematic desensitization. But, first of all, let's see what the anxiety disorder that we started talking about consists of.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

What is a phobia?

phobias are a set of psychological disorders belonging to the category of anxiety disorders. They are characterized because the people who develop them suffer a pattern of sudden increases in the level of anxiety when exposed to certain situations; as a consequence, they usually try to avoid such situations before they occur, or run away or withdraw quickly once the increase in anxiety has been generated, to stop feeling bad when before.

On the other hand, phobias are as varied as the number of situations or stimuli capable of triggering phobic reactions, and that is why we talk about phobia of needles, phobia of driving, phobia of spiders, etc. Of course, whoever develops a phobia, normally only suffers phobic-type anxiety reactions to a specific type of objects, living beings, places or situations. For example, the phobia of blood does not imply also fearing dogs, airplanes, etc.

The main symptoms that appear in a phobic-type crisis are the following:

• increased heart rate

• Nausea

• cold sweats

• tremors

• feeling dizzy

• Catastrophic thoughts about what will happen

• digestion problems

• You may be interested in: "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: what is it and what principles is it based on?"

What is systematic desensitization applied to phobias?

Systematic desensitization is a form of psychological intervention belonging to behavioral therapies. and by extension to cognitive-behavioral therapy, and it is widely used, especially to treat certain anxiety disorders, such as phobias.

The fundamental idea on which it is based is to help patients to face those situations that they fear because of the phobia, causing them not to eliminate the anxiety reaction, but to dominate it and make it easier for it to go off progressively.

For this, what is done is begin to expose the person to situations very similar to those that generate the phobic reaction, in a controlled environment and following the guidelines given by the psychologist, making him not give in and flee from that kind of exposure.

This is achieved, among other things, by following a difficulty curve, starting with not very intense experiences and then making them increasingly anxiety-producing. To achieve this, we usually work with guided imagery exercises, images, and sometimes 3D virtual reality resources or real stimuli, when necessary and possible.

On the other hand, one more characteristic of systematic desensitization is that while the patient is exposed to "uncomfortable" situations that trigger, at least in part, a phobic reaction, it helps you to induce in yourself a state of relaxationthrough various psychological techniques. In this way, the experience that used to be associated with anxiety (spiders, needles, etc.) is being associated with the opposite psychological and physiological processes.

Thus, the purpose of systematic desensitization applied to phobias is to allow the person to normalize the fact of experiencing the proximity of those objects, living beings, places or situations that you have been fearing, helping you stop giving them so much importance. It is a process of authentic emotional and totally experiential training., which cannot be replaced simply by theoretical learning about what a phobia is: normally, the People know that the fear they feel in phobic crises is irrational, but despite this, it limits their lives.

Are you looking for psychological support?

If you suffer from a phobic problem or some other psychological disorder associated with anxiety or managing emotions in general, I invite you to contact me to initiate a process of psychological intervention in several sessions. I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral approach, and I work both in person in Madrid and through the online format by video call. To see more information about how I work, as well as my contact details, go to this page.

Bibliographic references:

• Bourne, E.J. (2005). The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.
• Horse, V.E. (1998). Manual of therapy techniques and behavior modification. Three songs: 21st century.
• Dubord, G. (2011). Part 12. Systematic desensitization. Canadian Family Physician, 57(11): 1299.
• Kessler et al., (2005). Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archive of General Psychiatry, Vol. 20.
• McGlynn, F.; Smitherman, T.; Gothard, K. (2004). Comment on the Status of Systematic Desensitization. Behavior Modification, 28(2), pp: 194-205.
• Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. Stanford: Stanford University Press.