Role of Behavioral Therapy in Treating Phobias

Phobias occur in many people and are often mild. For example, if you live in the U.S. and have a fear of tigers, you can simply avoid the zoo. However, if the fear from your phobia is causing clinically significant distress, preventing you from necessary daily tasks, or negatively affecting interpersonal relationships, treatment is necessary.

Most forms of phobia-type anxiety disorders can successfully be treated. However, no single method of treatment works for all phobias. If you do seek treatment, the exact methods the therapist uses to help you may vary, but will likely include some form of behavioral therapy. Keep reading to learn about the common types of therapy used to treat phobias.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Phobias

A person who has a phobia believes situations with the feared object are inherently dangerous. This belief leads negative automatic thoughts to occur as soon as the feared situation is encountered. These automatic thoughts cause a phobic behavioral reaction, or fear response.

It takes several sessions in CBT to counteract these thought patterns and the sessions commonly include a component of exposure. To accomplish this, the therapist can help you overcome your fear with incremental steps and levels of exposure.

A sample treatment plan for a fear of dogs might include first reading about dogs, then watching a dog movie, and finally taking you to play with a trained, harmless puppy.

Techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy draw from the schools of behaviorism, learning theory, and cognitive theory.

Group Therapy to Ease Fears

Cognitive behavioral therapy is commonly held in a group setting for phobias, although many forms of therapy can occur in this format. You may see advertisements for group CBT sessions for phobias, which may refer to the therapy session as a seminar. The duration can be anywhere from one hour to several days.

A group of people with a fear of flying, for example, may assemble at an airport hotel for the weekend, where they could engage in a combination of psychoeducational classes and exposure sessions inside the airport. Group therapy is beneficial because it creates an environment of support, safety and encouragement from other members of the group who are likely experiencing similar things.

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy allows the therapist and client to solely focus on one another so they can build a rapport and collaborate to target and address the client's issue. Certain types of therapy, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy, explore subconscious conflicts contributing to fear and may progress for months or even years. Therapies more specifically targeted at behavioral change, such as CBT, generally occur for a limited time.

Family Therapy 

If the therapist feels your family situation may be contributing to the maintenance of a phobia, then they may suggest family therapy as part of a treatment plan. Family therapy is a common part of treatment plans for children with phobias.

Medications for Phobias

A good therapist will design a unique treatment plan to meet your needs. For some, medication may be part of the treatment plan. This is more common in those with a social phobia rather than for fear of a specific object or situation. might prescribe. These medicines could include:

• Beta-blockers to counteract the effects of adrenaline
• Antidepressants, or SSRIs, to act on the serotonin in your brain
• Sedatives to relax and reduce anxiety in acute situations

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A Word From Verywell

Behavioral therapy can play an important role in the treatment of phobias. Exposure treatments rooted in behavioral approaches are frequently used as a first-line treatment for different types of phobias. Behavioral therapy can also take place in groups or with family members. However, this is not the sole effective treatment for phobias. If you are experiencing a phobia interfering with your daily life, you should talk to your doctor to determine what approach will best address your needs.