Aversion Relief: An Alternative to Systematic Desensitization in the Treatment of Phobias

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Abstract
Twenty phobic patients, divided equally into two matched groups, were treated by using either aversion relief or systematic desensitization. Improvements were measured using a combination of psychiatrists' ratings, psychometric tests, self-assessments of phobias, neurotic symptoms and social adjustment. The two groups showed significant benefit after twelve hours of treatment. Improvement rates were similar for both therapies and increased in each case after a further nine hours of treatment. Improvement was more pronounced in phobias, less in other neurotic symptoms and negligible in social adjustment. Careful assessment of untreated fears was made to test for symptom substitution. On the contrary, both groups showed a generalization of effect, paralleling the decrease in intensity of the main phobia. In addition a study correlating thirty-six variables with the outcome of treatment suggested prognostic indicators for each treatment.

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