New Harbinger Publications: Is it true that animal and insect phobias can be cured in just hours? Exactly how long does it take?

Martin M. Antony: Numerous studies have found that phobias with animals and insects can often be cured in a single session with an experienced therapist lasting just two to three hours. Lars-Göran Öst, a psychologist in Stockholm, Sweden, has done the most research on treating animal phobias with a single session, but other centers (including our own) have replicated his findings. Of course, some people may require a few additional sessions, particularly for more severe phobias. Most people, though, are able to overcome their fears in just a few hours of exposure.

NHP: How do you treat animal phobias so quickly?

MMA: The treatment of choice for animal and insect phobias is gradual exposure to the feared animal. Generally, people are encouraged to begin with easier situations, situations that they find only somewhat distressing. For example, if a client is afraid of spiders, we might begin by getting him or her to look at a spider in a jar from a distance or look at pictures of a spider. Gradually and over time, people are encouraged to try more and more difficult exposures. At the end of the treatment the goal is for them to no longer avoid the animal at all. The key to effective exposure treatment is practices that are frequent (ideally everyday), prolonged (ideally at least two hours), and predictable.

NHP: Is exposure therapy successful in the long run, or do clients sometimes relapse?

MMA: Most studies have followed clients for up to two years after therapy, and relapse rates are very low for exposure-based treatments. One way of preventing relapse is to continue occasional exposures after the formal treatment has ended.

NHP: How does exposure compare with to other forms of treatment for phobias?

MMA: For some types of anxiety and phobias, other forms of treatment such as medications, cognitive therapy, and related approaches are used in treatment. However, in the case of animal phobias, there are no other treatments that have been shown in well-conducted studies to be effective in comparison to exposure treatment.

NHP: What would you say to encourage someone out there who is afraid of dogs, mice, or any animal, to get help?

MMA: Although animal phobias can be very distressing, particularly when the person has to encounter the feared animal from time to time, these are among the most treatable of anxiety problems a person can have. The strategies that are described in Overcoming Animal and Insect Phobias are proven in numerous studies to be effective. Even if an individual is not able to do the treatment on his or her own, we strongly encourage the person to seek professional treatment with someone who is experienced in treating phobias. A good source of referrals is the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (www.adaa.org).