1. Discuss the background for systematic desensitization. This is a very powerful therapeutic technique. The average effect size is 0.9, which equates to about 90% effective. In a 1920 study, Watson and Rayner, in the case of little Albert, wanted to show that they could condition a child to be afraid of a white rat. As an infant, the subject child had only feared a loud noise directly behind him, so he was a good candidate. The researchers made the noise that scared the child and put a white rat with him, and from this, he learned to be afraid of the rat, a rabbit, a dog, and a sealskin coat. In the case of little Peter, Mary Cover Jones, who had been an assistant in the little Albert case, did not want to be remembered for making children afraid. So, she looked for ways to help them break those fears. Peter was afraid of rabbits, so she developed a conditioning to help him overcome that fear. Peter liked jello, so she would give him jello at the same time that the rabbit was around him. He quickly forgot about the rabbit and enjoyed the jello. In time, he was not afraid of the rabbit at all. These experiments led to the development of systematic desensitization by Joseph Wolpe.

2. Discuss systematic desensitization through reciprocal inhibition. Wolpe thought that systematic desensitization worked because of reciprocal inhibition. The rabbit has many stimuli elements that have nerve pathways to the child. If the sympathetic nervous arousal of the child is opposed by a parasympathetic nervous system (calming) response (the jello), then the calming effect will replace the fear. Wolpe tested this theory by sitting Peter where he could not see all of the stimuli elements of the rabbit. In addition, he gave the child jello to take his mind off his fear. Each day, the rabbit was moved a little closer to Peter.

In adults, Wolpe suggested muscle relaxing techniques to accomplish the same effect as jello. Then, the client would construct a hierarchy of scenes. After that, Wolpe suggested that the client systematically imagine scenes while relaxed (at the rate of about two or three scenes per week).

3. Discuss the validity of Reciprocal Inhibition. As it turns out, Wolpe was probably dead wrong about the nerve pathways and stimuli. He was also wrong concerning his method for adults. Research has shown that: (a) the imagined scenes do not have to be in any order, (b) the scenes alone worked (relaxation alone and hierarchy of scenes alone did not work), (c) the hierarchy of scenes does not have to be in any order, (d) the process can be automated, (e) it can be done in groups, and (f) it can be done with a standard hierarchy rather than a personalized hierarchy. The conclusion was that the method is effective but that it does not have to be performed precisely. The crucial element is the systematic, careful imagining of all the scenes. The most common mistake made by neophyte counselors is not to have clients systematically imagine all the scenes. This is competitve-based model, and the scenes seem to be the key. The therapy sessions only take about 20 minutes of the hour for doing the scenes.

4. Describe some other treatments for fear and anxiety. First, Don Meichenbaum tells the client to imagine being afraid and then imagine themselves coping with their fears. This is systematic desensitization with coping imagery. Second is using in vivo desensitization, which is using real fear situations. Third is relaxation as an active coping skill. This is carried a step further than just relaxing, and clients are taught to cope. Fourth is guided participant modeling, where the therapist goes into the fearful situation with the client and demonstrates coping skills. Fifth is flooding and implosion, which are response prevention techniques. Flooding by behavioral and implosion by psychoanalysis are each intended to create extreme fear. These methods have been as successful as systematic desensitization, but the clients often do not come back for follow-on sessions. Sixth is rational-emotive therapy (RET) where the client imagines him or herself battling their fears (imagery). The conclusion is that imagery is a particularly effective treatment for fear and anxiety (probably because by the time people have become clients, they have tried all other behavioral and veral methods). The normal ways that we get over our fears are not normally practiced in therapy because most clients have already tried them.

5. Discuss Peter Lang’s Information Processing Model of Imagery. This is a therapeutic manipulation of imagery that reprograms the stimulus elements or the response elements of the image. Imagery is like a video of your brain. Memory is recreated every time because we cannot retain everything. Memory changes every time we remember. Therefore, a person can be taught to remember things differently. Systematic desensitization reprograms the stimulus elements. Meichenbaum reprogrammed the response elements. Ideally, the therapist should try to reprogram both.

				Tom of Bethany

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