Exposure hierarchy

In exposure therapy, an exposure hierarchy is a graded list of stimuli that will generate an escalating level of arousal, for the purpose of producing habituation.

The hierarchy may be created in advance of a session of exposure (a static hierarchy) or may arise extempore during the session in response to developments (a dynamic hierarchy). It is not yet known which, if either, of these methods produces the better outcome.

Further reading

• Marks I (1981) Cure and Care of Neuroses: Theory and Practice of Behavioural Psychotherapy John Wiley & Sons Inc ISBN 978-0-471-08808-0
• Hawton K, Salkovskis PM, Kirk J, Clark DM (1989) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychiatric Problems: A Practical Guide Oxford Medical Publications ISBN 978-0-19-261587-9
• Richard DCS, Lauterbach D (2006) Handbook of Exposure Therapies Academic Press ISBN 978-0-12-587421-2