How does exposure therapy generally help individuals with anxiety?

Exposure therapy is an effective treatment for individuals with anxiety as it involves gradually exposing them to the anxiety-inducing stimuli in a controlled and systematic way. This process allows individuals to face their fears in a safe environment, which can help reduce their sensitivity to those fears over time. By gradually confronting the source of their anxiety, individuals can learn that the feared outcomes are either unlikely to occur or are manageable when they do occur. This leads to decreased anxiety and increased confidence in their ability to cope with feared situations.

The therapeutic framework is built around the idea that avoidance maintains and exacerbates anxiety. By deliberately facing fears rather than avoiding them, exposure therapy helps break the cycle of fear and avoidance, ultimately leading to a lower level of anxiety and improved functioning.

In contrast, increasing avoidance would hinder progress, while discouraging the pursuit of therapy prevents individuals from utilizing effective treatment options. Focusing solely on medication overlooks the importance of behavioral interventions like exposure therapy, which can be critical for lasting change in dealing with anxiety disorders.