The British Journal of Psychiatry 131: 295-300 (1977)
© 1977 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Provoked anxiety as a treatment of exhibitionism
IH Jones and D Frei
A treatment for male genital exposure (exhibitionism) has been given
successfully to 15 persons who have previously been resistant to change.
The procedure involves the subject undressing before a mixed sex audience,
followed by video-taping and subsequent replay to the patient. During the
period of nakedness the subject describes in detail the events, his
expectations and attitudes, and those attributed to his victim during
exposure. The success of the treatment appears to depend on the profound
anxiety induced. During the phase of greatly increased anxiety, cognitive
changes previously resisted seem to be made possible.