Okuzeka
Psychology vocabulary · Therapy and Counselling

Exposure therapy

Meaning in psychology, with examples

nounCommon term

In psychology, exposure therapy means: A behavioural treatment in which a person faces feared situations, objects, memories or sensations gradually and safely, so that fear decreases and avoidance stops.

In Turkish: maruz bırakma terapisi, maruz bırakma tedavisi

How it is used

Used for phobias, OCD, PTSD and other anxiety problems, often within CBT. Therapist and client build an exposure hierarchy; exposure can be in vivo (in real life), imaginal or interoceptive (focused on body sensations).

Example sentences

  1. We started exposure therapy with photos of dogs before moving on to a real dog.

  2. Exposure therapy works partly by showing that the feared outcome does not happen.

Common collocations

  • exposure hierarchy
  • in vivo exposure
  • imaginal exposure
  • exposure and response prevention
  • phobiaAn intense, lasting and out-of-proportion fear of a specific object or situation, such as spiders, heights or flying, that leads to avoidance.
  • OCDShort for obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition with unwanted, repeated thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive actions or mental rituals (compulsions) performed to reduce distress.
  • cognitive behavioural therapyA structured, time-limited form of psychotherapy that helps people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that keep their problems going.
  • anxietyA feeling of worry, tension or fear about something that might happen, often with physical signs such as a fast heartbeat; when intense and lasting, it can be part of a disorder.

More terms: Therapy and Counselling

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