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Exposure Therapy Could Help More Than One Phobia
Folks who use exposure therapy to overcome a single phobia can find themselves less afraid of other things, according to the results of a new study.
Exposure Therapy and Multiple Phobias
Exposure therapy has been proven to be the most effective treatment against phobias, researchers said. By confronting a fear-inducing situation under the supervision of a therapist, patients learn to overcome their fear.
It has long been assumed that a person with a myriad of fears would require multiple rounds of exposure therapy. Each round targeting a different phobia. To challenge this assumption, researchers performed exposure therapy treating a fear of spiders on 50 people who also had a fear of heights.
Prior to the therapy, participants answered questionnaires and performed tasks to quantify their phobias.
People who underwent exposure therapy for spiders wound up experiencing an average 15 percent reduction in their fear of heights, results show.
It is not clear why the effect of exposure therapy transferred from one fear to the other. It might be the participants gained more confidence as a result of conquering a phobia.
The study was published in the journal, “Translational Psychiatry.”
Phobias and Your Health
Phobias can limit your daily activities and may cause severe anxiety and depression.
People with phobias can have panic attacks. The symptoms often occur suddenly and without warning. Physical symptoms produced include:
- A choking sensation
- Butterflies in the stomach
- Confusion or disorientation
- Dry mouth
- Feeling faint
- Headaches or dizziness
- Hot flushes or chills
- Nausea
- Numbness or pins and needles
- Pain or tightness in the chest
- Rapid heartbeat
- Ringing in your ears
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sweating
- Trembling
People with phobias purposely avoid coming into contact with the thing that causes them fear and anxiety.
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This entry was posted on January 24th, 2024 at 01:29:00 pm by BlogMe@iaatpa.net (IAA) and is filed under Exposure Therapy.