Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T13:53:28.367Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Imaginal Flooding and Exposure to Real Phobic Situations: Treatment Outcome with Agoraphobic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

A. M. Mathews ,
D. W. Johnston ,
M. Lancashire ,
M. Munby ,
P. M. Shaw  and
M. G. Gelder
A. M. Mathews
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
D. W. Johnston
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
M. Lancashire
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
M. Munby
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
P. M. Shaw
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
M. G. Gelder
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Each of thirty-six female agoraphobic out-patients were treated by one of three methods: 8 sessions of imaginal flooding followed by 8 sessions of practice in the real situation; 16 sessions of combined flooding and practice; or 16 sessions of practice alone. Three therapists treated equal numbers of patients in each group, and there was some evidence that patients' response varied according to the therapist seen, irrespective of treatment group. There were no significant differences between treatment groups after 8 sessions, 16 sessions or on six-month follow-up. It is concluded that there are no long-term differences between the effects of treatments involving exposure to either imaginai or real phobic situations or to a combination of both, provided that patients are encouraged to practise between sessions.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 129 , Issue 4 , October 1976 , pp. 362 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agras, W. S. (1967) Transfer during systematic desensitization therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 5, 193—270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bandura, A., Blanchard, E. B. & Ritter, B. (1969) Relative efficacy of desensitization and modelling approaches for inducing behavioural, affective and attitudinal changes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 13, No. 3, 173–99.Google Scholar
Barlow, D. H., Agras, W. S., Leitenberg, H. & Wincze, J. P. (1970) An experimental analysis of the effectiveness of ‘shaping’ in reducing maladaptive avoidance behavior: an analogue study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 8, 165—73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barlow, D. H., Leitenberg, H., Agras, W. S. & Wincze, J. P. (1969) The transfer gap in systematic desensitization: an analogue study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 7, 191—6.Google Scholar
Crowe, M. J., Marks, I. M., Agras, W. S. & Leitenberg, H. (1972) Time-limited desensitization, implosion and shaping for phobic patients: a cross-over study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 10, 319—28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmelkamp, P. M. G. & Wessels, H. (1975) Flooding in imagination vs flooding in vivo: a comparison with agoraphobics. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 13, 7—15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gelder, M. G., Bancroft, J. H. J., Gath, D. H., Johnston, D. W., Mathews, A. M. & Shaw, P. M. (1973) Specific and non-specific factors in behaviour therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 123, 445—62.Google Scholar
Hand, I., Lamontagne, Y. & Marks, I. M. (1974) Group exposure (flooding) in vivo for agoraphobics. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 588—602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marks, I., Boulougouris, J. & Marset, P. (1971) Flooding versus desensitization in the treatment of phobic patients: a crossover study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 353—75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathews, A. M., Johnston, D. W., Shaw, P. M. & Gelder, M. G. (1974) Process variables and the prediction of outcome in behaviour therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 125, 256—64.Google Scholar
McNair, D. M. & Lorr, M. (1964) An analysis of mood in neurotics. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 69, 620—7.Google Scholar
Sherman, A. R. (1972) Real-life exposure as a primary therapeutic factor in the desensitization treatment of fear. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 79, 19—28.Google Scholar
Stern, R. & Marks, I. (1973) Brief and prolonged flooding. Archives of General Psychiatry, 28, 270—6.Google Scholar
Watson, J. P., Gaind, R. & Marks, I. M. (1971) Prolonged exposure: a rapid treatment for phobias. British Medical Journal, i, 13—15.Google Scholar
Watson, J. P., Mullett, G. E. & Pillay, H. (1973) The effects of prolonged exposure to phobic situations upon agoraphobic patients treated in groups. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 11, 531—45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolpe, J. (1958) Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Wolpe, J. (1973) The Practice of Behavior Therapy. 2nd Edition. New York: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Wolpe, J. & Lang, P. J. (1964) A fear survey schedule for use in behaviour therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2, 27—30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.