With this roundup of different forms of exposure therapy, find out which treatment is right for you.
Overview of Exposure Therapy for PTSD
Exposure therapy is considered a behavioral treatment for PTSD.
It is important to recognize that this learned avoidance serves a purpose.
Credit: Getty Images/Peter Dazeley
Avoidance is a safety-seeking or protective response.
However, as this avoidance behavior becomes more extreme, a person’s quality of life may lessen.
He may lose touch with family or experience difficulties at work or in relationships.
In addition, avoidance can make PTSD symptoms stick around longer or even intensify.
This is done by actively confronting the things that a person fears.
So, how does a person actively confront feared situations, thoughts, and emotions during exposure therapy?
A number of methods may be used by a therapist.
These are described below.
Imaginal Exposure
In imaginal exposure, a client is asked to imagine feared images or situations.
Imaginal exposure can help a person directly confront feared thoughts and memories.
Therefore, he may be asked to imagine a feared combat situation that he experienced.
Interoceptive Exposure
Interoceptive exposure was originally designed to treatpanic disorder.
However, there is evidence that interoceptive exposure may be successful in the treatment of PTSD as well.
Prolonged Exposure
Prolonged exposure therapy is a combination of the above three methods.
In particular, some therapists are beginning to usevirtual reality technologyto help people confront the things they fear most.
Exposure therapy is like any other treatment for PTSD.
It requires a tremendous commitment and can be difficult at times.
The way in which this is done in each treatment simply differ.
Therefore, it is very important tofind the right therapistand treatment for you.
