Brilliant Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 2nd Edition

Imaginal exposure

• Prepare by writing down a paragraph describing your feared scenario or the next step in your hierarchy of fear. It may be helpful to record what you have written onto CD or other recording device. Try to create a detailed and vivid description: a vague or abstract description will simply allow you to carry on avoiding.
• Get yourself into a state of physical relaxation using breathing, visualisation or another technique that works for you.
• Spend 15 minutes reading the paragraph over to yourself, vividly picturing the feared scenario in your mind.
• Accept the physical symptoms of anxiety that will start to develop but notice also how your anxiety levels tend to drop back down as you persist with the process.
• Repeat until exposure ...