Betty has an intense fear of flying. She is participating in a behavioral program where she made a list of everything bad that could happen on a flight. She listed watching a plane takeoff as the least fearful activity, sitting on a plane moderately fearful, and actually experiencing turbulence as a very fearful activity. She then learned to practice deep relaxation. Betty's therapist exposed her to flying by having her go to the airport, watch planes take off, and maintain her relaxation. The therapist continued to gradually expose Betty to stronger anxiety-producing flying stimuli while Betty maintained a state of relaxation. She eventually was able to fly again. This type of therapy is referred to as ________________ therapy.
a. punishment
b. covert sensitization
c. modeling
d. systematic desensitization
d. systematic desensitization
ReplyDelete