Exposure Therapy—When should it be used.

Exposure therapy is a specific type of cognitive-behavioural

psychotherapy technique that is often used in the treatment of post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias.
The goal of exposure therapy is to help reduce a person's fear and
anxiety, with the ultimate goal of eliminating avoidance behaviour and
increasing quality of life. This is done by actively confronting the things
that a person fears. By confronting feared situations, thoughts, and
emotions, a person can learn that anxiety and fear will lessen on its own.
Exposure Therapy helps you retrain your brain. It's not just about
"getting used to" the fear. It's about retraining your brain to stop sending
the fear signal when there isn't any danger.

This therapy is indicated under the following circumstances.

1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
For example, a woman with PTSD who fears the location where
she was assaulted may be assisted by her therapist in going to that
location and directly confronting those fears (as long as it is safe to
do so). Avoidance can make PTSD symptoms stick around longer
or even intensify. That is because a person is avoiding certain
situations, thoughts, or emotions, he doesn't have the opportunity
to learn that these situations may not be quite as threatening as
they seem. Exposure therapy targets learned behaviours that
people engage in (most often the avoidance) in response to
situations or thoughts and memories that are viewed as
frightening or anxiety-provoking. A rape survivor may begin to
avoid relationships or going out on dates for fear that she will be
attacked again. In addition, by avoiding thoughts, memories, and
emotions, a person doesn't let himself fully process those
experiences. By confronting feared situations, thoughts, and
emotions, a person can learn that anxiety and fear will lessen on its
own.

2. Social Anxiety Disorder a person with social anxiety disorder who

fears public speaking may be instructed to directly confront those
fears by giving a speech. People struggle against anxiety attacks and
phobias because they recognize that their fears are exaggerated and
 illogical. They try hard to talk themselves out of the fear.But that
doesn't help. So they end up trying to avoid the fear, and that,
unfortunately, just strengthens it. Exposure Therapy helps to retrain
the brain to let go of phobias, anxiety attacks, and other forms of
anxiety disorders
In addition Exposure therapy has been found to be effective for a range
of issues including:
 Phobias
 Panic disorder
 Agoraphobia
 Generalized anxiety disorder
 Obsessive compulsive disorder
 Panic disorder

Contraindications
Clinicians are often hesitant to use exposure therapy due to beliefs
that it is contraindicated for many patients with PTSD. This is
especially true for PTSD patients with comorbid problems. The use of
exposure therapy with patients with problems that often co-occur
with PTSD, including dissociation, borderline personality disorder,
psychosis, suicidal behaviour and non-suicidal self-injury, substance
use disorders, and major depression should be undertaken after
consultation and under careful supervision. It is recommended to
treat PTSD with exposure therapy while providing integrated or
concurrent treatment to monitor and address the comorbid problems.