| Abstract: | Subjected 10 women with insect phobias to a variant of systematic desensitization in which a procedure aimed at stimulating a fantasy of "merging with mother" was substituted for muscle relaxation. The procedure consisted of the tachistoscopic subliminal exposure of the verbal stimulus MOMMY AND I ARE ONE during the visualization part of desensitization, whenever the S's anxiety rose above a specified level. A control group of 10 other women with insect phobias underwent the same procedure except that the subliminally exposed message was the neutral stimulus PEOPLE WALKING. On measures of both phobic behavior and anxiety, the experimental group manifested significantly more improvement than the controls. This supports the proposition that (part of) the effectiveness of systematic desensitization resides in its activating unconscious merging fantasies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
