ABSTRACT
Everyone knows what it means to be "exposed to danger". In behaviour therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) the term "exposure" is used to refer to the presentation of situations or events, which the client unrealistically and mistakenly perceives as significantly threatening or experiences as unnecessarily anxiety-provoking. As conceived within modern cognitive therapy for anxiety, exposure has been defined as follows: [Exposure is] systematic, repeated, and prolonged presentation of external objects, situations, or stimuli, or internally generated thoughts, images, or memories, that are avoided because they provoke anxiety. Although the term "exposure therapy" is sometimes used to refer to specific behaviour therapy protocols, it is also sometimes used more generally to refer to any treatment strategy that involves confrontation with anxiety-provoking stimuli, including exposure-based "behavioural experiments" in cognitive therapy for anxiety. Wolberg describes the case of a patient who successfully overcame her intense phobia for oranges through hypnotic imagery of pleasant experiences and direct suggestions, used to facilitate graduated exposure.
