Optimizing in vivo exposure using occasional reinforced extinction with aversive imagery in spider fearful individuals

Although exposure-based therapy is widely recognized as effective for treating various anxiety disorders, a significant proportion of patients fail to benefit or experience a return of fear following successful treatment. One promising strategy involves occasional presentation of fear-evoking stimuli during extinction (occasional reinforced extinction, ORE). This study investigates a novel approach to translate ORE into clinical practice by incorporating occasional vivid imagery of individuals' worst-case fear scenarios during in-vivo exposure. Forty-seven spider-fearful individuals were randomly assigned to receive either a one-session in-vivo standard exposure treatment (Exp-Only) or an one-session in-vivo exposure treatment supplemented with occasional mental imagery of their worst-case spider scenario (Exp + ORE). Fear of spider questionnaires and a generalization behavioral approach test were administered prior to and one week after treatment. Both groups showed improvement from baseline to post-assessment, but the Exp + ORE group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in self-reported fear and avoidance of spiders compared to standard exposure training. During the generalization behavioral approach test, subjective distress and approach behavior toward the spider significantly improved from baseline to post-assessment in all participants, with no discernible group differences. Findings moreover indicate that occasional imagery during exposure lead to greater expectancy violation compared to standard exposure, providing insights into potential underlying mechanisms of the ORE approach. Incorporating mental imagery into the occasional reinforced extinction approach could hold promise for enhancing the efficacy of exposure-based treatments for anxiety disorders in clinical settings.