SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION PROGRAM FOR MUSOPHOBIA

SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION PROGRAM FOR MUSOPHOBIA I. RATIONALE: Systematic Desensitization is the appropriate behavioral therapy technique in eliminating the client’s fear of rats as the problem is a strong conditioned emotion and there is a distinct stimulus that is provoking fear. GOAL: This therapy aims to remove the fear response of the client from rats and substitute a relaxed response to the conditional stimulus gradually using counter conditioning. The phases of the whole treatment session are as follows: Assessment The client will be undergoing a clinical assessment through interviews and selfmonitoring. This is intended to gain information about the severity of fear, prognosis, and health conditions that may intervene in the whole treatment process. Intervention The client will be participating in a series of exercises where in relaxation techniques and breathing exercises is done while moving up in the fear hierarchy successively. Home works and Follow ups The client will be given homeworks and will be required to have a follow up consultation after completing the sessions. With this, the client ALYSSA MARIE M. DAMAYO has agreed to complete 6 sessions of behavior therapy through systematic desensitization; is able to perform the processes needed psychologically and physically; and is in terms with the goals of this program intervention. II. INTERVENTION: A. Learning a Coping Strategy The client will be trained to do a Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique in a quiet, comfortable place where she is seated with her eyes closed and her body loose. This will be practiced until the client is familiar with the process and is able to achieve the relax state. Instructions: STEP ONE: Tension The first step is applying muscle tension to a specific part of the body. First, focus on the target muscle group, for example, the left hand. Next, take a slow, deep breath and squeeze the muscles hard for about 5 seconds. It is important to really feel the tension in the muscles, which may even cause a bit of discomfort or shaking. In this instance, you would be making a tight fist with your left hand. STEP TWO: Relaxing the Tense Muscles This step involves quickly relaxing the tensed muscles. After about 5 seconds, let all the tightness flow out of the tensed muscles. Inhaling and exhaling is done in the process. It should feel like the muscles become loose and limp, as the tension

AMD

flows out. It is important to very deliberately focus on and notice the difference between the tension and relaxation. This is the most important part of the whole exercise. Finally, client must remain in this relaxed state for about 15 seconds, and then move on to the next muscle group. Repeat the tension-relaxation steps.

B. The Fear Hierarchy While performing the coping strategy discussed above, the client will be working her way to a fear hierarchy where every level is rated from which stimuli creates the least anxiety and building up in stages to the most fear provoking images. This involves reading the instructions per level and imagining acting out the step while practicing the relaxation technique as she go. Fear Rating: 1. Imagine a rat. 10 2. Look at a moving picture of a rat. 20 3. Look at a real rat inside the glass box on the table 30 10 meters away from you. 4. Step 3 meters nearer from the rat inside glass box. 40 5. Step 5 meters nearer from the rat inside the glass 50 box. 6. Stand beside the table with the rat inside the glass 60 box on it. 7. Touch the glass box with a rat inside of it. 70 8. Look at the rat being taken outside of the glass 80 box. 9. Touch the rat. 90 10. Feed the rat. 100 As the client is comfortable with this and able to achieve deep relaxation while imagining the fear provoking scenarios, she will move on to the next stage in the hierarchy. If any chance the client becomes upset she must return to an earlier stage and regain their relaxed state. The client repeatedly imagines the level of situations until it fails to evoke any anxiety at all, indicating that the therapy has been successful. This process is repeated while working through all of the situations in the anxiety hierarchy until the most anxiety-provoking. C. Fear Confrontation: After successfully completing the fear hierarchy by imagining each level while attaining a deep muscle relaxation, the client will presented with a real life stimulus. She will be performing the hierarchy in actual scenarios with the real feared stimulus. The same relaxation technique is applied until relaxation in attained while progressively going through the hierarchy. Therapy is therefore successful when the client is able to feed the rat without evoking any fear response.

AMD

III.

HOMEWORK:  Daily practice  Visualization of previously successful items  Practice in vivo  Mediation

AMD