Question

Max is a snake-phobic client using systematic desensitization. What would a behavior therapist tell Max to do when he begins experiencing anxiety while visualizing a snake through the window?

Answer 1

Max's therapist would probably tell him to repeat the relaxation technique until his anxiety subsides.

Step-by-step explanation:

Anxiety is characterized by anticipated concern about some future possibility, but anxiety can also be characterized by a situation of extreme discomfort, which leads an individual to a high level of mental stress. In Max's case, anxiety is triggered by his fear of snakes. Max does therapy to overcome this anxiety, and his therapist probably taught him relaxation techniques, such as breathing, for him to use in times of anxiety crisis.

Breathing is one of the main techniques for controlling anxiety which, in turn, is one of the emotional causes of panic syndrome. Probably Max's therapist indicated that he should practice breathing, or another relaxing technique, when he visualized a snake and had an anxiety attack.