Meaning | A technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety; client is exposed to the threatening situation under relaxed conditions until the anxiety reaction is extinguished. |
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Synonyms | desensitisation technique, desensitization procedure, desensitisation procedure, systematic desensitization, systematic desensitisation |
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Narrower | exposure therapy | A form of behavior therapy in which a survivor confronts feelings or phobias or anxieties about a traumatic event and relives it in the therapy situation |
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Broader | behavior therapy, behavior modification | psychotherapy that seeks to extinguish or inhibit abnormal or maladaptive behavior by reinforcing desired behavior and extinguishing undesired behavior |
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