Desensitisation therapy AKA Exposure therapy

StarryEyed
StarryEyed Community Member Posts: 1,891 Championing
edited September 25 in Talk about your impairment

@Rachel_Scope and I were talking about using desensitisation therapy AKA exposure therapy to address problems that we have with anxiety. Here's a thread for that, which of course anyone can join.

This therapy can be used to gradually expose us to feelings and thoughts and even physical symptoms, with the goal of decreasing avoidance and decreasing anxiety. This is the relation between anxiety and avoidance, whereby when we feel anxiety we tend to avoid that which causes anxiety, which causes a feedback loop to increase the anxiety...

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There are four possible approaches I can suggest:

1. Self-directed: Watch this video by "Therapy in a Nutshell" and set up your own program:

https://youtu.be/qzpoO0oVRr8?si=TaEthJlDiNnkElEb

2. That video is from day 27 of a 30-video free program by "Therapy in a Nutshell", in this playlist. You can do all videos.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiUrrIiqidTVqab7pZivzb-e-tMA8qjd-&si=ZQUY1suY9Df4KsA3

3. You can start with the video in option #1 then do the 30 videos in option #2 as you're working through the program you set up.

4. You can go to the course on the "Therapy in a Nutshell" website and do the 30 videos with more support, which is €37 for one month, found here:

https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills

My choice is #3.

There are lots of other options of how to learn exposure therapy. Maybe you want to suggest another option?

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a therapist, just a user and big fan of this technique.

The idea is to create a ladder from easiest to hardest, with the hardest being your ultimate goal and something that you typically cannot do.

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Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 9,442 Online Community Team

    Thanks for sharing all these resources @StarryEyed! Rachel will be really pleased to read this thread when she's next in. I'm much better than I used to be, but I definitely still recognise some of that anxiety cycle. Gets me thinking about what I could challenge next!

    I love those Therapy in a Nutshell videos, I've seen a few of her other ones. I find the lady who does them really calming and gentle.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Community Member Posts: 1,891 Championing

    Hi @Rosie_Scope. My pleasure. Hopefully someone will join me. Maybe even you? I learned it about 20 years ago and very quickly learned just to do it in my head, but as I wrote in another thread recently, I'm really, really struggling with my disabilities more and more, so I need more support. I've also seen some of her videos on YouTube. Yes, she is so calming and gentle. I like her very concrete teaching method too and her humour. Here's one of my favourite ones. This is for intrusive thoughts, which is something that gets in my way a lot and is part of the rewiring I need to focus on for my exposure therapy. Maybe you or other members might benefit from this....

    https://youtu.be/IHOieCU4WQs?si=TvRreUzxfptikVKa
  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 9,442 Online Community Team

    I'll have a think about some things I could challenge @StarryEyed! It's nice to have a spot to share resources and encourage each other too ☺️ I'm sure many will find it useful.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Community Member Posts: 1,891 Championing

    Okay I've set my ultimate goal:

    To be able to take the bus when it is full of people with any of my mobility devices (I have two different walkers, an e-tricycle and an electric scooter).

    The next step is to define smaller goals that build towards that goal.

  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Community Member Posts: 1,891 Championing

    In the video in option #1, there are six steps to setting up your exposure therapy program. Step one (which was my last post yesterday) is to choose a fear to work on.

    Step two is to make a personal goal in your program. My goal is to reduce my anxiety as my anxiety is through the roof about too many things right now - especially (but not limited to) the threat of natural disasters, the global political situation, the global financial situation, and my autonomy decreasing as my health is worsening which makes me increasingly vulnerable. There isn't much I can do about those things, but I'm looking for things I can do something about. I've always had a psychological fear of transportation, but this has become much worse with my physical disability as it's now even more challenging. So my personal goal is to reduce my overall anxiety load and to increase my mobility.

    I also watched the Introduction video in the 30-video playlist. She's very clear and focused as to what she will teach us in this course. I like clear and focused - the Holy Grail in anxiety disorders 😊

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