# Exposure therapy?



## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

Just wondered how many of you tried this radical bulldozing your way through it kind of approach and how did it work for you? Am considering toastmasters to obliterate social anxiety once and for all.


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## cookies (Jan 20, 2008)

Exposure therapy works but you must do it slowly and just a little at a time.

Toastmasters will not cure you of SA.


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## guss (Feb 28, 2012)

Exposure therapy can do wonders. When I see people complaining about it or saying it didn't work for them, I just assume they did something wrong. It always works if you do it right.


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## SuzyQ12 (May 4, 2013)

I'm doing my own little exposure therapy and it seems to be helping me. Don't expect to be "cured" right away. It could take months, like for me. But I have noticed, slowly but surely, my tolerance to certain environments has gotten better. Remember to practice practice practice! And don't give up.


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## hdth (Jun 12, 2013)

Iv been trying this and idk if its been working or not. Maybe its just the people around me always have the spotlight pointed towards me, the awkward weird one who doesn't talk, and when I do say something everyone around me is like HOLY **** HE SAID SOMETHING. I don't always do bad when I do talk, though many times I do say awkward/weird ****, especially if im giving a speech I always nail it dead on and give everyone laughs but I cant talk otherwise and its frustrating. Baby steps I think is the way to go for exposure therapy I don't believe in end all be all therapy its a process that takes time just like everything.


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## Brilliantly Beta (Aug 5, 2012)

Okie dokie so it's effective but no cure. I kind of gathered from my CPN. He said this could be with me for life yaaay....not :/ just want to live a somewhat normal life.


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## lovedbyChrist (Dec 6, 2011)

*leaping*

I think of it as leaping into the situation. I've notice that most of the relaxation techniques written about make me feel worse because the act of doing the technique makes me concentrate on the automatic negative thoughts, or make the situation larger than it is. I've had about a 50% success rate. Not pre-planning what to say makes me act more normal but without pre-planning I can quickly run out of things to say and have a very blank mind.


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## Ghost in the Shell (May 25, 2013)

It works if you only have someone that will push you forward. If you don't have anyone, there is very little chance of success in my opinion.


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## Alexis1213 (Jun 20, 2012)

Slowly doing Exposure therapy works, just not a lot of it or it can cause your anxiety to get worse.


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## timidSeal (Jun 6, 2013)

I've only just started doing exposure therapy. I agree with the others that it has to be done slowly and correctly. (I feel like I've spent a whole life forcing myself to do things and it hasn't worked to relieve my anxiety.) For me, I am finding that thinking about the irrational thoughts I have while doing the exposures helps a lot. And having a therapist to point out things I am not even aware of helps.


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## janulik85 (Mar 26, 2013)

It is definitely working for me. As long as I don't feel being pushed and set my own pace, it really works.
Sometimes the only way out is way through. Amongst other disorders, I also suffer of borderline personality disorder and that makes things even more complicated. Not only one is being self - conscious and feels socially awkward but I also perceive people judging me and hating me (FYI, that is mostly in my head) and than I find it even more difficult to make a contact and build relationships. That is especially true for my work relationship. When in new environment I feel like people want to use me and abuse me and I become overly protective of myself and very defensive. 

But coming back to the point, yes do it little but little and as often as possible.


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## cloister2 (Sep 2, 2011)

I have tried it with that attitude of just jumping right in the deep end, but I am thinking of relaxing in my approach now. It's difficult for me simply to sit at the same table as another person at the library, so doing that was a good exposure for me. I have to review how to do it again in my book. I've done things like talking to a stranger on the street, and guess what, I'm still very anxious. Maybe it's because I haven't had much success socially.


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## timidSeal (Jun 6, 2013)

cloister2 said:


> like talking to a stranger on the street, and guess what, I'm still very anxious.


The key is consistent repetition (at least that's what I'm told). So it would be talking to FIVE strangers on the street EVERY day until it's so comfortable that you are willing to move to the next level (whatever that might be). If you miss a day, your anxiety takes a small back-step, but it shouldn't feel like starting over again. And stranger 5 should produce less anxiety than stranger 1 did. It's a gradual, persistent process. I can imagine for some people to feel comfortable it could take weeks of doing this.


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