Aversion therapy is a treatment modality that alleviates negative feelings, such as sadness, anxiety, or fear. The therapy typically involves exposing the patient to aversive stimuli in a controlled environment to reduce the associated feelings.
Aversion therapy is often used to treat PTSD, OCD, and anxiety. The therapy typically involves exposing the patient to aversive stimuli in a controlled environment to reduce the associated feelings.
Several types of aversion therapy exist, including classical conditioning, extinction, and counterconditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when a stimulus (usually a cue) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (usually aversive stimuli, such as shocks), causing the subject to experience the associated behavior (in this case, fear). Extinction occurs when the subject no longer experiences the associated behavior after exposure to the conditioned stimulus no longer occurs. Finally, counterconditioning occurs when the subject is taught to associate a positive stimulus (usually a reward) with exposure to the conditioned stimulus.
Aversion therapy treats several conditions, including PTSD, OCD, and anxiety. The therapy typically involves exposing the patient to aversive stimuli in a controlled environment to reduce the associated feelings.
