Overcoming Avoidance – Exercise
This exercise will carry on over the coming weeks. It will involve you completing a task in 4 steps.
Step 1: Identifying all the things you have been avoiding since your trauma.
Step 2: Deciding which cause you most fear.
Step 3: Putting the situations you fear in a list starting with the one you fear least up to the one you fear most.
Step 4: Start facing the things you fear one by one starting with the one which causes you least fear.
Read through the examples below and carry out the 4 steps yourself:
A form for you to complete can be found in the blue folder you were given by your therapist. If you would rather complete the task on your computer, please use the following link to access the form in Microsoft Word.
STEP 1 - Write a list of everything you have been avoiding since your traumatic event. This can include TV programmes, people, places, activities or objects.
Example
Chloe:
Going back to where the attack happened, Watching the news, Looking at a knife, Watching a violent film, Holding a knife, Walking around the neighbourhood the attack happened
STEP 2 - Decide how much fear each item causes you. You can do this by giving each a rating from 0 (no fear) to 10 (extreme fear).
Example
Chloe:
Going back to where the attack happened - 10
Watching the news – 3
Looking at a knife – 6
Watching a violent film - 4
Holding a knife - 7
Walking around the neighbourhood the attack happened - 9
STEP 3 - Put each item into a list beginning with the one that causes you least fear (the lowest number). This is sometimes called a ‘fear ladder’.
Example
Chloe:
1. Watching the news
2. Watching violent film
2. Looking at a knife
3. Holding a knife
4. Walking around the neighbourhood the attack happened
5. Going back to the exact spot where the attack happened
STEP 4 - You will now have an ordered list of feared situations or a ‘fear ladder’.
The next task is to think about facing your fears. This will be gradual.
Confront the situation on the top of your list (the situation which causes you least fear) first.
Work down the list, moving on to a new task when you feel comfortable with the one before.
You will probably feel anxious at first, but this will get better if you stay in the feared situation. The aim is to prove to yourself that you can cope with the fear and to prove to yourself that there is no real danger. You may like to share your list with your partner, a family member or friend and explain the tasks you have ahead of you. Having the support and encouragement of someone you trust can be very helpful.
Decide when you will confront each task and reward yourself when you successfully manage to face-up to each situation.
Tick each in your list off in turn once you feel comfortable with it.
Aim to complete each task within a week, but do not rush if you are finding it difficult. Record your progress in your Activities Diary to discuss with your Guide.
