Can I Benefit From Exposure Therapy?

Your mental health matters, as does your ability to feel comfortable and at rest in your day-to-day environment. However, sometimes a person’s feelings of anxiety, fear, and panic can be so strong, so overwhelming, that coping with those feelings or overcoming them seems impossible. This may manifest as an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are very common, with almost one-third of U.S. adults experiencing one at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. 

But whether you are facing an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder or a specific fear or phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or some other form of mental illness that is interfering with your daily life, treatment is available that can help. And this treatment may include a specialized medical approach known as exposure therapy. 

What Is Exposure Therapy?

Exposure therapy is a specific form of psychological treatment facilitated by trained mental health professionals that focuses on helping people cope with their fears and change patterns of avoidance and stress that are associated with specific objects, places, or situations. Unlike how it is sometimes portrayed in the media, exposure therapy is intended to be gentle, guided, incremental, and consensual. 

There are a number of different mental health disorders and life events that can cause a person to become disproportionately afraid or uncomfortable in certain situations. 

For example, a person may:

• be anxious when interacting with others, leading them to stop speaking in social settings
• struggle with the noise and pressure of crowds and public spaces, causing them to stay home
• experience a traumatic car crash and become unable or unwilling to drive or travel in a car
• be afraid of snakes, spiders, or bugs, causing them to avoid spending time outdoors

In these situations and others like them, people tend to adjust their behavior to avoid feared or uncomfortable experiences. While this can reduce fear, anxiety, and stress in the short term, in the long term it can have a major impact on the person’s confidence, freedom, and overall quality of life while also making their fear, panic, or anxiety intensify. 

Left untreated, people in these situations can miss out on important life opportunities, find it difficult to build meaningful relationships, or even struggle with day-to-day living. 

What Conditions Can Exposure Therapy Treat?

Exposure therapy has been shown to be effective in addressing a number of different mental health conditions.

These include:

• acute stress disorder (ASD), a short-term mental health condition that may develop within a month of a traumatic experience
• agoraphobia, a fear of certain settings or situations a person may experience outside of their normal living space
• generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition involving ongoing feelings of being anxious, worried, or overwhelmed about everyday things
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in which a person experiences persistent unwanted thoughts or impulses leading to repetitive behavior
• panic disorder (panic attacks), involving sudden and overwhelming feelings of fear as well as physical symptoms like a racing heart rate, hyperventilation, and sweating
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex condition that can develop after a difficult or painful experience, often producing flashbacks, anxiety, and other symptoms
• social anxiety disorder (social phobia), a condition in which a person struggles with extreme anxiety in social situations due to a fear of what others think of them
• specific phobias, producing disproportionate fear and panic related to animals (spiders, dogs, etc.), storms, heights, medical procedures, etc.

It’s important to note that exposure therapy isn’t the right treatment option for every person experiencing one of these conditions, and other forms of treatment and therapy may also be needed to promote an effective recovery. 

When Is Exposure Therapy Not Recommended As A Treatment Option?

While exposure therapy is generally positive and recommended for appropriate conditions, it is not recommended for everyone.

People who might not benefit from exposure therapy include those who:

• are experiencing suicidal thoughts
• have a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia, in which the person loses touch with their external reality
• are experiencing dissociation, becoming disconnected from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity
• have other serious or complex comorbidities that should be addressed and stabilized first
• are under the age of 14 (case-by-case)

Are There Different Types Of Exposure Therapy?

Exposure therapy is slightly different for each person who participates in it. Several broad categories are used to describe different approaches to exposure therapy.

These include:

• imaginal exposure: in which a patient vividly imagines or visualizes a feared object or situation, oftentimes using a repeated written narrative (written exposure therapy, or WET)
• virtual reality exposure: which involves using virtual systems to safely simulate a specific situation
• in vivo exposure: facing a feared object or situation in real life in a controlled and supportive way
• interoceptive exposure: intentionally triggering and managing physical symptoms of fear or panic (e.g., dizziness, lightheadedness, disassociation) in order to learn to better tolerate them

How Does Exposure Therapy Work?

Exposure therapy starts with a conversation with your therapist in order to help him or her better understand your situation. From this conversation, you will collaborate to develop a plan for your treatment that is flexible and personalized to fit your needs, goals, and preferences. 

During treatment, exposure therapy is progressive, meaning that therapists start with mild to moderate exposure experiences that gradually build towards more intense forms of exposure as your comfort and confidence increase. 

As an example, consider someone who has a crippling fear of crowds. At their therapist’s direction, he or she may begin by visualizing being in a crowded space while listening to an ambient recording of a busy location. In the next session, they may use a virtual reality simulation or visit a real-world location during a calm period of time, before returning at gradually busier and busier times of day as the client becomes less reactive and more confident in this setting.

Throughout this process, your therapist will also offer training and techniques to help you more effectively manage anxiety and stress. These techniques usually include breathing exercises, mediation, yoga, or other relaxation techniques. 

Is Exposure Therapy Effective?

Exposure therapy is an evidence-based treatment, meaning that it has been thoroughly researched and is considered a proven and highly effective treatment option within its particular scope. 

Recent research from the California Association of School Psychologists has shown it to be particularly beneficial for school- and college-age young people, who have yet to become more set in their ways.

However, human beings of any age are highly adaptable, and the personalized, goal-oriented nature of exposure therapy can often lead to meaningful and lasting improvements that develop over a relatively short amount of time. 

Benefits of exposure therapy treatment programs include:

• habituation: a decrease in reactivity towards the source of fear
• extinction: decreasing or eliminating irrational or disproportionate associations between negative effects and the source of fear
• emotional processing: a better understanding of the origin of the fear, allowing replacement of harmful responses with realistic thoughts, beliefs, and reactions
• self-efficacy: learning to be more self-confident and independent in facing and overcoming stressful, anxiety-provoking situations

How Long Does Exposure Therapy Take?

Exposure therapy can vary in length depending on the severity of a person’s condition, the presence of other contributing mental health factors, and the person’s willingness and enthusiasm to participate in the treatment process.

As a general rule, outpatient exposure therapy treatment programs usually involve six to 12 weekly sessions. 

What Alternative Treatment Options Are Available?

Exposure therapy is only one form of mental health treatment that can be used to treat anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions. 

Other treatment methods that are paired with exposure therapy or used as alternatives include:

• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) 
• acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• prolonged exposure (PE)
• other forms of psychotherapy
• substance abuse treatment
• eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) 
• meditation/mindfulness
• anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) medications
• antidepressants

By talking with a treatment professional, you can find a personalized treatment pathway that meets your needs and enables you to work towards recovery your own way. 

How Can I Get Started?

If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, contact 911 for emergency first response.

If you believe exposure therapy or other mental health care options may be a good fit for you and your needs, there are different ways to access a mental health provider.

For instance, you might:

• talk to your doctor about your situation and request a referral to a mental health provider
• reach out to local therapists, counselors, or psychologists directly
• use your county’s mental health hotline or other community resources
• contact us here at Ohio Recovery Center

At ORC, each client in our short-term inpatient mental health program receives a personalized treatment plan. This plan is carefully designed to help you learn how to manage your specific mental health challenges and develop lasting, practical solutions to improve your overall mental well-being. Depending on your specific needs, this may include some initial forms of exposure therapy, along with other proven recovery treatments. 

To learn more, please reach out to the Ohio Recovery Center team today.