Et: Foundations Of Exposure Therapy

Front 1

conditioning

Back 1

A negative event is paired with a previously neutral object or situation so that the neutral stimulus now elicits fear.

Front 2

vicarious learning

Back 2

Observing another person be hurt or afraid in a specific situation leads to fear of that situation.

Front 3

informational transmission

Back 3

Being told that specific objects or situations are dangerous (e.g., by others, in the media).

Front 4

origin of fear

Back 4

While some clients may find it helpful to understand how their fear got started in the first place, it is not necessary to know this information for exposure therapy to work.

Front 5

repeated avoidance

Back 5

Provides little opportunity to learn that the situation is not actually dangerous and can be tolerated.

Front 6

safety behaviors

Back 6

Any behavior that prevents or decreases distressing emotions, increases sense of safety, or reduces the perceived risk of feared outcomes.

Front 7

short-term anxiety reduction

Back 7

Increases the likelihood that the person will avoid the feared situation again in the future.

Front 8

problematic belief 1

Back 8

Overestimation of the likelihood of feared outcomes.

Front 9

problematic belief 2

Back 9

Overestimation of the severity of feared outcomes.

Front 10

problematic belief 3

Back 10

Negative beliefs about anxiety.

Front 11

problematic belief 4

Back 11

Negative beliefs about the self.

Front 12

avoidance

Back 12

Decreases anxiety in the short-term, and increases anxiety in the long-term.

Front 13

problematic beliefs

Back 13

These cause people to avoid the things that make them afraid, even when they are not actually dangerous or harmful.

Front 14

anxiety

Back 14

This is maintained (and often increases) over time because avoidance prevents people from learning that their problematic beliefs are inaccurate.

Front 15

fear generalization

Back 15

Occurs when fear of one stimulus becomes associated with other similar, but distinct, stimuli.

Front 16

corrective learning

Back 16

Through repeated contact with the things that elicit fear, individuals learn that their problematic beliefs are actually inaccurate.

Front 17

in vivo exposure

Back 17

Designed to counteract avoidance of feared situations.

Front 18

imaginal exposure

Back 18

Designed to counteract avoidance of feared thoughts, memories and mental images.

Front 19

interoceptive exposure

Back 19

Designed to counteract avoidance of feared physical sensations.

Front 20

preliminary imaginal exposure

Back 20

This can be used to prepare an individual for a particularly distressing in vivo exposure, by having them first imagine approaching the feared situation.