Desensitization: It's What's For Breakfast

As professionals in fields like education, coaching, and animal training, we're often tasked with helping people or animals overcome challenges and anxieties. A powerful technique that can facilitate this process is systematic desensitization. Today we'll dive into the intricacies of desensitization, exploring how it differs from other behavioral approaches and how you can apply it effectively in your work, or for yourself!

What is Systematic Desensitization?

At its core, desensitization is a psychological process used to reduce a person's or animal's emotional response to a stimulus. In simpler terms, it's about turning the scary movie or TV show down from a scream-inducing horror to more of a mild nuisance (more on that in a minute).

The Backstory of Resolving Phobias: A Peek into the Past

Desensitization isn't a new concept—it boasts a rich history in behavioral psychology. The idea dates back to the early 20th century, when pioneering psychologist Mary Cover Jones began exploring ways to treat anxieties and phobias. It was during this era that the foundation for what we now recognize as desensitization started to take shape.

One of the most significant contributions to the field was made by Joseph Wolpe, a South African psychiatrist. In the 1950s, Wolpe developed systematic desensitization specifically to deal with phobias. His approach was revolutionary for its time. He theorized that anxiety and relaxation are mutually exclusive states—that is, you can't feel both anxious and relaxed at the same time. Using this theory, he crafted a therapy that involved three key steps: identifying the fear, learning relaxation techniques, and gradually exposing the individual to the fear in a controlled and progressive manner.

Wolpe’s systematic desensitization didn't stay confined within the walls of psychiatry. It quickly spread across disciplines, influencing therapists, educators, and even animal behaviorists around the world. This technique became a cornerstone method for not only treating human anxieties but also for modifying animal behaviors, proving its versatility and effectiveness.

Today desensitization is recognized as a fundamental component of cognitive-behavioral therapy and is applied in various forms, from virtual reality therapy for veterans with PTSD to a gentle therapeutic approach for children who are afraid of the dark.

How Desensitization Works: Habituation is Your Friend

Imagine if every time you heard your phone ping with a new message, you jumped as if a firecracker had gone off next to you. Sounds exhausting, right? Thankfully, our brains are equipped with a neat trick called habituation, which means getting used to things that happen often. Habituation is the psychological process where repeated exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in response. It’s like becoming so accustomed to the sound of your own alarm clock that it no longer startles you, but instead, becomes part of your morning symphony.

Let’s say you’ve moved into a fantastic new house that’s perfect in every way, except for being right next to a busy road. The first few nights are rough, with every car passing by disrupting your dreams of ice cream (or your favorite dessert). However, over time, you notice the noise less and less. Your brain starts to treat the loud traffic as background noise, not worth the energy to notice. That’s habituation at work—your sensory response to the traffic noise decreases as it becomes a familiar part of your environment.

Now, how does habituation relate to desensitization? While both involve a reduction in response over time, systematic desensitization is like habituation’s more deliberate cousin. It’s a controlled process used in therapeutic settings to help individuals reduce fear or unpleasant reactions to specific things.

For example, consider someone with a fear of spiders. Using systematic desensitization, they might start by looking at pictures of spiders, then watch videos of a small spider, and eventually, perhaps visit a tarantula at a zoo. Each step is carefully planned and paired with relaxation techniques to help manage anxiety. This isn’t just getting used to spiders in your bathtub by finding them there regularly (that’s more habituation)—it’s a strategic approach to changing your reaction to spiders altogether.

So while habituation might happen without much fanfare as you “get used to” things, desensitization is an intentional, structured process aimed at reducing specific fears or anxieties. Both processes teach us that sometimes, the best way to deal with an upsetting stimulus is not by running away, but by facing it in small enough doses so often that it starts to bore us. 

What Desensitization is NOT

It's important to distinguish desensitization from other popular behavior interventions that may accompany it, like counter-conditioning or negative reinforcement. While adding these approaches to a systematic desensitization (DS) protocol can be valuable, each technique has distinct goals and methods.

Counter-conditioning aims to change the emotional response to a stimulus, often by pairing it with a positive experience. In contrast, desensitization focuses on gradually reducing the intensity of the response through repeated, controlled exposure.

Negative reinforcement involves removing an undesirable stimulus to encourage a specific behavior. Desensitization, however, does not rely on the removal of stimuli but rather on the gradual introduction and acclimation to them.

Systematic desensitization is a form of non-associative learning, meaning the stimulus and a particular outcome (good or bad) are not linked.

Scary movies: To watch, or not to watch?

You can also use systematic desensitization on yourself. Growing up, scary TV shows and films were not my jam—I avoided them completely and sometimes felt anxious just thinking about them.

As I got older and became interested in more complex or exciting storylines (“Jurassic Park,” anyone?), I learned that covering my eyes to avoid scary or gory scenes allowed me to still enjoy the movies or shows without triggering my fear. From there, I was able to control the amount of scary content I was exposed to, and gradually moved to watching more of the scary scenes as my tolerance increased. The key here was the gradual increase in exposure, and my own sense of safety in being able to choose how much of the content I watched, which underpins the essence of desensitization.

While watching in my scaredy-cat way, I also benefitted from some positive reinforcement. Usually I watched scary films or shows with friends, an activity I greatly enjoyed. And not least, I was enjoying some tasty snacks while I watched! This positive reinforcement not only made the experience more pleasant for me but also created a positive association with watching scary films.

Over time, my emotional response shifted from fear to anticipation of the enjoyment that comes with watching a good thriller. This approach changed my perception of frightening movies or shows and many I wouldn’t have watched before because of occasional gory or scary content are now among my favorites.

But, do we always need to use reinforcement (or counter-conditioning) alongside desensitization? The answer is no–by definition, desensitization works to reduce undesirable responses without using positive reinforcement or counter-conditioning at the same time. I could potentially have desensitized myself to scary TV shows and films without using positive reinforcement, but incorporating it can enhance the experience and accelerate the process by making it more enjoyable and sustainable.

Practical Applications of Desensitization

Let’s take a look at another example of desensitization based on my experience with my Morgan mare, Gigi.

Gigi came to me as a four-year-old filly from the SPCA, not much known about her previous life experience. She’s come a long way in the relaxation department thanks to a ton of careful handling and training. But as with all horses, things that are new, different, or highly visible can cause her to react with anxiety or fear.

One recent sunny day, as I rode Gigi down a familiar trail towards the barn, I noticed her ears perked up and her pace slowed as we approached a large white tire cover gracing a parked horse trailer. Her head went up, her muscles tensed, and her ears and eyes locked onto that bright white, flapping tarp. Her typical response in situations like this is to stop moving, and if I pressure her to move forward, she will get increasingly antsy and try to get away from what is scaring her – with or without me on board! 

Rather than trying to force her forward, I figured it was time to put the principles of desensitization into practice. 

I began by stopping Gigi at a comfortable distance from the trailer, before her response became any more agitated. Keeping my own movements calm and my voice low and soothing, I allowed her to simply look at the tire cover, not asking her to do anything more than observe it from the safety of our current position. Her neck was slightly arched, nostrils flared, and her ears were flicking back and forth, but I could see the whites of her eyes start to recede as the tension began to ebb.

I waited, offering her gentle encouragement when I noticed her head drop and her body start to relax. Only when I could feel her visibly soften and her breathing slow did I ask her to move her a few steps closer, pausing again after those steps to let her process. This cycle repeated several times—cue her to move forward, pause, allow for relaxation, repeat. I made sure to keep a watchful eye on her body language, ready to halt our progress if I saw any signs of renewed tension or distress. 

After just a few minutes of this gradual, methodical approach, Gigi walked calmly past the trailer and its flapping tire tarp. 

Risks of Desensitization

Desensitization is not without risks. Like any behavior modification technique, doing it incorrectly can make the unwanted behavior worse:

• Risk of sensitization - Accidentally increasing the subject’s fear of the stimulus.

• Risk of flooding - Presenting the stimulus in an overwhelming manner and forcing the subject to endure it.

By planning the desensitization process in advance, strictly controlling the environment and the presentation of the unwanted stimulus, and proceeding with careful attention to the subject’s comfort level, these risks can be mitigated.

Last, But Not Least: Myth-Busting Desensitization

As with any behavioral technique, there are common misconceptions and myths surrounding desensitization. Let's take a moment to address a few of these:

Myth: Desensitization is the same as exposure therapy.

While both approaches involve gradually exposing an individual to a feared stimulus, desensitization is a more specific technique that focuses on reducing the intensity of the response over time. Exposure therapy may include other elements, such as cognitive-behavioral interventions, that are not necessarily part of the desensitization process.

Myth: Desensitization is only effective for phobias.

In reality, the applications of desensitization extend far beyond phobias. This technique can be incredibly useful in addressing a wide range of anxieties, fears, and aversions, whether they are related to specific stimuli, situations, or experiences.

Myth: Desensitization happens overnight.

On the contrary, desensitization is a gradual process that requires patience and consistent, incremental exposure. Rushing through the steps or skipping ahead can undermine the effectiveness of the technique and lead to setbacks. Slow and steady progress is key.

Myth: Desensitization is only for animals, not humans.

Desensitization is a well-established approach in both animal training and human therapy. The principles and processes are applicable to individuals of all ages and backgrounds, from children to adults, and can be tailored to meet their specific needs and goals.

More Resources on Desensitization

• Systematic Desensitization Steps: 13 Techniques & Worksheets - PositivePsychology.com

• Non associative learning (video) - Khan Academy

• Systematic Desensitization Therapy (Udemy course) - Michelle Scott