Prolonged imaginal exposure based on worry scenarios

Abstract

Persistent worrying is considered to function as an important cognitive avoidance mechanism in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). A therapeutic intervention is obvious that aims at confronting the person with the internal experiences the person avoids through worrying. Variants of “worry exposure” in sensu are indeed part of many CBT treatment manuals for GAD, but how to conduct prolonged forms of exposure in sensu for GAD has yet not been comprehensively described and scientifically discussed. Results from a recent randomized-controlled trial show that it is possible to successfully use imaginal exposure with worry scenarios in a prolonged mode. In this chapter, we explain the rationale and procedure of the method and discuss it along with other possible variants of “worry exposure.” Furthermore, we report on clinical observations that teach us when and how to apply prolonged imaginal exposure with worry scenarios.