Direct therapeutic exposure
Behavior therapy confronting stressors safely for PTSD and phobias.
Direct therapeutic exposure (DTE) is a behavior therapy method developed by Patrick A. Boudewyns. The approach involves having patients vividly yet safely face their stressors, and it is used to help combat veterans as well as individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, or phobias. Research supports exposure therapy for both simple and complex traumas. A related treatment is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The technique first appeared in book form in 1983’s *Flooding and Implosive Therapy: Direct Therapeutic Exposure in Clinical Practice*, co-authored by Boudewyns and Robert H. Shipley. DTE is often combined with other therapies. In practice, direct exposure places the client—either in reality or through imagination—into the feared situation, and it has been applied to populations such as those with agoraphobia and chronic PTSD.
- field
- Behavior therapy
- known_for
- Pioneering direct therapeutic exposure for PTSD and phobias
- first_book_publication
- 1983
- isbn
- 0-306-41155-5
- similar_therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Lore & Background
Direct therapeutic exposure (DTE) was developed by Patrick A. Boudewyns as a behavior therapy technique. It is designed to help individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, or phobias by having them vividly and safely confront stressors. The technique has supporting evidence with both simple and complex traumas. A similar therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Reader's Guide
Direct therapeutic exposure (DTE) holds significance as a behavior therapy technique pioneered by Patrick A. Boudewyns for treating combat veterans and patients with PTSD, panic disorder, or phobias. Its first known book publication, *Flooding and Implosive Therapy: Direct Therapeutic Exposure in Clinical Practice* (1983), established a formal foundation for the approach. DTE involves placing the client either real or imaginally in the feared situation, and it is not uncommon to combine DTE treatment with other therapies. The technique has supporting evidence for both simple and complex traumas, and it is related to other exposure-based treatments such as prolonged exposure therapy. Its legacy includes influencing subsequent therapeutic approaches for trauma-related conditions.
Did You Know?
- Direct therapeutic exposure was pioneered by Patrick A. Boudewyns.
- The first known book publication on DTE is *Flooding and Implosive Therapy: Direct Therapeutic Exposure in Clinical Practice* (1983).
- DTE has supporting evidence with both simple and complex traumas.
- A similar therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
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