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Flooding

Definition

Flooding is another type of exposure therapy that involves immediate and intense exposure to the fear-inducing stimulus without any gradual buildup or hierarchy. The goal is for the individual's anxiety response to decrease over time as they realize that their feared outcome does not occur.

Analogy

Imagine jumping into cold water instead of slowly easing in inch by inch. With flooding, it's like immersing yourself completely into your fears all at once instead of dipping your toes in first.

Related terms

Exposure Therapy: A form of behavioral therapy where individuals confront their fears or anxieties in real or imagined situations.

Extinction: The process by which conditioned responses diminish or disappear over time when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Fear Hierarchy: Similar to systematic desensitization, this term refers to ranking fears from least to most anxiety-provoking, but in the context of flooding, it's not used for gradual exposure.