| Abstract: | The authors reply to comments by L. H. Silverman (see record 1982-21579-001) on their earlier criticisms (see record 1980-26153-001) of subliminal symbiotic stimulation as a clinical adjunct to systematic desensitization. The authors contend that Silverman credits them with an overly nebulous "challenge" that was not made, and cites new data that purportedly contradict this overgeneralized conclusion. None of this "contradictory" evidence deals with desensitization or any other treatment for phobic anxiety. The alternative explanations he derives from these new data are based on an arbitrary and simplistic method of data aggregation that lacks consistency across investigations. The resulting selective bias severely reduces the explanatory power of these alternative possibilities and does not negate the authors' contention that stimulation of unconscious merging fantasies is superfluous in desensitization. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
