GROUP EXPOSURE IN VIVO FOR AGORAPHOBICS (1974): A MULTIFACETED PILOT STUDY AND ITS IMPACT ON SUBSEQUENT AGORAPHOBIA RESEARCH

Abstract

This paper reviews the research in agoraphobia in four areas: (i) Is the group application of exposure in vivo really the most effective treatment for agoraphobia? (ii) Does high group cohesion really increase the power of group exposure? (iii) Was the exposure mode applied in this study actually the first cognitive-behavioural intervention in behaviour therapy of anxiety disorders? (iv) How often do agoraphobics really suffer from marital discord, and how does this affect the outcome of short-term, massed exposure-treatment? It describes the development of concepts and the evolution of knowledge, but it also points out the redundancies, misunderstandings and pitfalls in research that have hindered progress. This paper does not deal with the data quality of the studies reviewed; sometimes high data quality does not result in high information quality, and vice versa. This is therefore not a scientific paper but a non-comprehensive journey through the recent history of research in behaviour therapy for agoraphobia. It is hoped to give practice-relevant information for clinicians and some new ideas for future research.