implosion therapy
- noun
- /ɪmˈploʊʒən ˈθɛrəpi/
- Specialized
:
terapia de implosión
- During implosion therapy, the patient is asked to confront their most intense fears in a controlled environment.
Examples
-
Some psychologists recommend implosion therapy for clients suffering from severe phobias.
-
Have you ever tried implosion therapy for your phobias?
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The effectiveness of implosion therapy is still debated among mental health professionals.
-
Many therapists recommend implosion therapy for severe anxiety.
-
During implosion therapy, a patient confronts their deepest fears through intense visualization to lessen anxiety.
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The therapist used implosion therapy to help the client gradually face their phobia of heights.
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In a session of implosion therapy, the patient repeatedly recalls distressing memories to reduce their fear response.
Synonyms
2
4.6
A treatment where a person faces what makes them afraid in a safe place
1
7.4
A treatment where a person stays with a feared thing until anxiety goes down
How Intense
- Specialized
1
7.4
- Specialized
- Specialized
2
4.6
- Specialized
1
6.7
- Specialized
24
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'implosion' (sudden inward collapse) and 'therapy' (treatment) make it understandable as a type of treatment that involves an intense or overwhelming process, so learners can infer it is a therapy using an "implosive" approach. However, the specific clinical meaning—exposure to intense stimuli to reduce anxiety—is a technical/metaphorical extension of 'implosion' and not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Implosion therapy comes from the image of an implosion—something collapsing inward—used with therapy for treatment. In this method a person is asked to 'face their fears' all at once, like a sudden inward rush of fear, so they may learn to 'reduce fear' over time.