Exposure Therapy (PDF)

Exposure Therapy
Rethinking the Model - Refining the Method

Peter Neudeck and Hans-Ulrich Wittchen

From its early uses in treating phobias, exposure methods have expanded greatly, being established now as state of the art and first-line interventions for all anxiety and many other mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, somatoform and addictive disorders. Informed by current understanding of learning, memory, cognition, neurobiology, the neurosciences as well as a range of clinical studies, exposure therapy is now firmly grounded on a broad and robust empirical base, opening new avenues for research and practice in behavioral psychotherapy. 

Exposure Therapy: Rethinking the Model -Refining the Method assembles leading experts to create a volume of equal interest and usefulness to students, clinicians and researchers alike. The book critically reviews the theoretical and formal aspects of exposure therapy including ethics; presents the theoretical models and many forms of clinical applications of exposure methods including the relationship to cognitive therapy and acceptance-based approaches; and discusses the role of procedural variants such as imaginal exposure, anxiety control strategies, cognitive interventions, as well as management of safety behaviors during exposure. Core topics are included:

• Neural substrates of fear extinction and learning.
• Exposure therapy for anxiety disorders in children.
• The role of anxiety control strategies in imaginal exposure.
• Interoceptive exposure and its variants
• Variants of exposure in body dysmorphic disorder and hypochondriasis.
• Trauma exposure in PTSD: safety first?
• Exposure therapy in OCD: are cognitive elements needed?

Graduate students, clinicians and scientists seeking an overview on the latest research will look to Exposure Therapy: Rethinking the Model - Refining the Methodas a trustworthy guide to the field as it continues to evolve.