Gradual Exposure Therapy

Hierarchization of feared situations

Cognitive-behavioral therapy proposes that the best way to dismantle fear is to stop avoiding it, but doing so all at once can be traumatic. The effective strategy is gradual exposure.

To do this, a hierarchical scale of anxiety-generating situations should be created, scoring them from 1 to 10 according to the intensity of the fear they provoke.

For example, if speaking in public before a large audience is a 10, perhaps giving a brief opinion in a small meeting is a 3, and asking for feedback from a trusted colleague is a 5.

The goal is not to jump immediately into the level 10 situation, which could confirm our sense of incompetence if we get blocked, but to start at the lower rungs.

By identifying and ordering these triggers, we transform an amorphous mass of anxiety into a list of addressable and concrete tasks, regaining a sense of control over our professional development process.

Micro-action steps

Once the hierarchy is established, we apply the technique of "micro-changes" or tiny action steps. Often, large goals paralyze us by their magnitude.

The solution is to break the challenge down into the smallest possible action we can take today.

If the goal is to improve public speaking, the micro-step is not "give a lecture," but perhaps "ask a question on the next team call."

These steps should be so small that the perceived risk is low and the internal resistance minimal.

By operating in the realm of the manageable, we circumvent the paralysis response of the nervous system.

Each completed micro-action releases energy and reduces the voice of the internal saboteur, demonstrating that we are capable of moving, even if only inches, in the desired direction.

Accumulation of evidence and confidence

Gradual exposure works by accumulating empirical evidence that contradicts our limiting beliefs.

Every time we face a low-level situation on our fear scale and survive it (or even succeed), our brain registers a new piece of information: "I was able to do it".

By overcoming the first goal, the perception of fear changes; what once felt like a level 3 challenge now feels like a 1.

This process does not magically eliminate fear, but it builds a solid foundation of self-efficacy. It allows us to look back and see a trajectory of small victories.

Over time, this practice reco