A treatment often used for anxiety disorders, including PTSD. The goal of exposure therapy is to help reduce a person's fear and anxiety, with the ultimate goal of eliminating avoidance behavior, which is the things we do to try to get away from experiencing something unpleasant (for example, drinking alcohol to stop upsetting memories from coming up).
This is usually done, for example, by having a person fully confront (or be exposed to) thoughts, feelings, or situations that he fears without avoiding them. This may be done by directly exposing someone to a fearful object or image (for example, showing someone a picture of something he fears) or through the use of the imagination.
By dealing with the fear and anxiety, the person can learn that anxiety and fear will lessen on its own (and therefore, does not need to be avoided), eventually reducing the extent with which certain thoughts, feelings, and situations are viewed as threatening and fearful.
Exposure therapy may also be paired with teaching a person different relaxation skills. That way, he can better manage anxiety and fear when it occurs (instead of relying on avoidance).
