Evidence-Based Treatment Indianapolis
Exposure Therapy: To Help You Face Anxiety and Feel More in Control
Sommer Psychology Group provides evidence-based Exposure Therapy in Indianapolis for anxiety. Exposure Therapy is a structured approach that helps you gradually face the situations and thoughts you’ve been avoiding so they become less overwhelming over time.
Our licensed therapists help you break avoidance patterns, reduce anxiety, and build confidence in daily life. We offer in-person therapy in Indianapolis and secure online sessions across Indiana for flexible, effective care.
- I avoid situations, places, or activities because they make me anxious or uncomfortable.
- I feel compelled to do things a certain way or take extra precautions to prevent something bad from happening.
- I know my fears are often unrealistic, but I can’t seem to face them.
- I spend a lot of time trying to control my anxiety, which leaves me exhausted.
- I feel isolated or ashamed because I worry others wouldn’t understand my anxiety.
- I constantly worry about what might go wrong, second-guessing my decisions and actions.
What Is Exposure Therapy?
Exposure therapy is a well-researched, evidence-based treatment for anxiety. It is a structured approach that helps you gradually face feared situations, thoughts, or sensations instead of avoiding them.
Avoidance can temporarily reduce anxiety, but it often reinforces fear over time by preventing the brain from learning that the situation is safe or manageable. Exposure therapy works by helping you slowly and safely approach what you’ve been avoiding so your brain can relearn a more accurate sense of threat.
Over time, this process reduces anxiety and builds confidence in your ability to cope.
Exposure therapy can be especially helpful for people struggling with:
- Persistent anxiety
- Trauma-related fear
- Panic attacks
- Avoidance behaviors
- Distressing memories
- Intense physical anxiety sensations
Exposure Therapy in Indianapolis
What is Exposure Therapy Like?
Many people feel nervous about starting exposure therapy, especially if they have been avoiding certain triggers for a long time.
At Sommer Psychology Group, exposure therapy is individualized and carefully structured to help clients feel supported throughout the process.
Treatment typically includes:
- Understanding how anxiety and avoidance cycles work
- Identifying specific triggers that maintain fear
- Developing a personalized exposure hierarchy
- Practicing gradual exposures in session and between sessions
- Learning strategies to tolerate anxiety and uncertainty
Exposure therapy is an active, skills-based treatment. Progress happens through real-life practice and building confidence step by step.
Over time, many clients find they are able to return to activities, environments, and experiences they previously avoided.
Exposure Therapy for Trauma & PTSD
Trauma and PTSD can be effectively treated using exposure therapy, which focuses on safely confronting trauma-related memories, thoughts, and situations to reduce fear and avoidance. PTSD often involves intrusive memories, flashbacks, heightened arousal, and strong urges to avoid reminders of the trauma, which can interfere with daily life.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that avoidance and safety behaviors—like staying away from reminders, suppressing memories, or over-checking—may provide short-term relief but actually keep fear and distress strong.
Treatment involves gradually and repeatedly approaching trauma-related memories, thoughts, or situations in a controlled and supportive way. For example, someone might start by recounting a traumatic memory in a safe setting, then gradually engage in real-world situations they have been avoiding. Over time, this reduces anxiety and distress, helps the brain learn that reminders are not inherently dangerous, and restores a sense of control.
Exposure therapy helps people break the cycle of avoidance, process traumatic experiences safely, and reclaim meaningful activities and relationships that trauma may have disrupted.
Exposure Therapy for Health Anxiety
Health anxiety can be effectively treated using exposure therapy, a form of cognitive-behavioral treatment that helps people face feared thoughts, sensations, or situations rather than avoiding them. Health anxiety often involves persistent worry about illness, checking your body, seeking reassurance, or repeatedly reviewing information to feel safe.
In exposure therapy, the focus is on changing how you respond to these worries. While reassurance, checking, or avoidance may provide temporary relief, they actually keep anxiety strong by signaling that the feared outcome is dangerous and must be controlled.
Treatment involves gradually facing feared health-related thoughts, bodily sensations, or situations (exposure) without engaging in safety behaviors like excessive checking or reassurance seeking. For example, someone worried about heart disease might intentionally notice an increased heartbeat without immediately checking their pulse or Googling symptoms. Over time, this helps reduce anxiety, increase tolerance for uncertainty, and retrain the brain to see health-related thoughts and sensations as manageable rather than threatening.
Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder can be effectively treated using exposure therapy, which helps reduce fear of social situations by addressing avoidance and safety behaviors. This condition involves intense worry about being judged, embarrassed, or negatively evaluated by others.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that behaviors like avoiding eye contact, over-rehearsing, or seeking reassurance may temporarily lower anxiety but actually keep fear strong by preventing new learning.
Treatment involves gradually facing feared social situations (exposure) while reducing safety behaviors. For example, someone might practice starting a conversation without over-preparing or allow themselves to show signs of nervousness without trying to hide them. Over time, this helps challenge feared outcomes, decrease self-focused attention, and build confidence in social interactions.
Without treatment, people with social anxiety often avoid social situations, which can interfere with school, work, or relationships. Exposure therapy helps break this cycle, allowing greater participation in meaningful social experiences and increased freedom in daily life.
Expsoure Therapy for Perfectionism
Perfectionism can be addressed using exposure therapy, which targets rigid standards and the behaviors people use to avoid mistakes or discomfort. Those with perfectionism often engage in excessive checking, over-preparing, procrastination, or avoidance to prevent errors or imperfection.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that these behaviors maintain anxiety and reinforce the belief that mistakes are unacceptable or harmful.
Treatment involves intentionally creating situations where imperfection is possible (exposure) while resisting urges to check, correct, or overcompensate. For example, someone might submit work without over-reviewing or leave small errors uncorrected on purpose. Over time, this helps build tolerance for imperfection, reduce fear of mistakes, and develop more flexible, manageable standards.
Exposure Therapy for Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Panic disorder can be effectively treated using exposure therapy, particularly through interoceptive exposure, which targets fear of physical sensations. Panic attacks often involve intense bodily symptoms—like a racing heart, dizziness, or shortness of breath—that can be misinterpreted as dangerous.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that trying to avoid or control these sensations, such as leaving situations or using safety behaviors, actually maintains the fear of panic.
Treatment involves intentionally bringing on feared physical sensations, like increased heart rate or lightheadedness, while resisting avoidance or safety behaviors. People may also practice entering situations they have been avoiding. Over time, this helps reduce fear of bodily sensations, break the cycle of panic, and restore confidence in one’s ability to cope.
When panic becomes a focus of constant worry, individuals may develop panic disorder. Many also begin avoiding public or unfamiliar places due to fear of having an attack and not being able to get help—a pattern known as agoraphobia.
Exposure Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be treated using exposure therapy by addressing excessive worry and the need for certainty. GAD often involves persistent concern about everyday situations, fueled by a low tolerance for uncertainty.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that behaviors like reassurance seeking, overthinking, or mentally reviewing scenarios may temporarily reduce anxiety but ultimately reinforce the need for certainty.
Treatment involves intentionally facing uncertainty while resisting urges to worry or seek reassurance. For example, someone might allow a worry to remain unresolved without analyzing it. Over time, this helps increase tolerance for uncertainty, reduce reliance on worry, and lower overall anxiety.
Exposure Therapy for Specific Phobias
Exposure Therapy for Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety can be effectively treated using exposure therapy, which focuses on reducing fear and avoidance around performance situations. This type of anxiety often shows up as intense worry about being judged, making mistakes, or failing in front of others, leading to avoidance of activities like public speaking, performing, or presenting.
In exposure therapy, individuals learn that avoiding these situations or using safety behaviors—like over-rehearsing, relying on notes excessively, or trying to “perfect” every detail—may temporarily reduce anxiety but ultimately keep fear strong.
Treatment involves gradually facing feared performance situations while resisting safety behaviors. For example, someone might practice giving a short presentation to a small group, then gradually increase the audience size, noticing anxiety without trying to control or eliminate it. Over time, this helps reduce fear, build confidence, and allow fuller participation in valued activities.
Exposure therapy helps people move past avoidance, manage anxiety in the moment, and perform in line with their goals and values, rather than letting fear dictate their actions.
We are here to help you overcome anxiety
How Exposure Therapy Can Help
Exposure therapy helps retrain the brain’s response to fear by gradually building tolerance for uncomfortable situations, sensations, or memories.
Rather than avoiding anxiety triggers, clients learn how to approach them in a structured and supportive way. Over time, this process helps:
- Reduce fear responses
- Increase confidence handling anxiety
- Break cycles of avoidance
- Improve daily functioning
Exposure therapy is always collaborative and gradual. Your therapist will work with you to design exposures that feel challenging but manageable.
The goal is not to overwhelm you, but to help your brain learn that anxiety can rise and fall naturally without needing avoidance.
We guide you beyond survival, helping you both manage anxiety and build lasting resilience for what’s ahead.
Our Approach
How Our Exposure Therapy Works
Our treatment approach focuses on helping individuals understand their anxiety patterns, reduce avoidance, and develop confidence when facing feared situations.
We begin with a comprehensive intake session to understand your experiences with anxiety or trauma, identify triggers, and explore how avoidance may be maintaining symptoms.
Together, we create a structured exposure hierarchy that breaks fears into manageable steps. This allows therapy to move at a pace that feels challenging but achievable.
During therapy sessions and between sessions, clients gradually practice exposures while developing strategies to tolerate anxiety and uncertainty.
ABOUT US
Why Work With Sommer Psychology Group
We understand that life can sometimes feel overwhelming—whether it’s managing anxiety, balancing responsibilities, or facing the fear of the unknown. As exposure therapy specialists who work with individuals who struggle with anxiety, OCD, and related disorders, we aim to help you find your way forward.
Our approach is solutions-focused and evidence-based, designed to meet your unique needs and help you achieve lasting change. Whether you’re dealing with stress, life transitions, or relationship challenges, we are dedicated to giving you the tools to overcome obstacles and thrive.
At Sommer Psychology Group, we believe in the power of quality care. That means giving you dedicated, thoughtful, and individualized support, with the flexibility of virtual sessions that fit into your life, wherever you are.
Our evidence-based therapy is grounded in three core principles:
Integrity
We believe integrity is the foundation of effective therapy. It fosters trust, respect, and accountability, ensuring our clients receive honest, consistent, and ethical guidance throughout their journey.
Compassion
Compassion is at the heart of our practice. It nurtures emotional healing, creating a safe space where clients can feel heard, valued, and understood while developing a culture of collaboration and respect.
Quality Care
We prioritize quality care to ensure the best outcomes for our clients. By addressing both clinical needs and emotional well-being, we build trust and deliver effective therapy that supports long-term growth and success.
Meet Our Exposure Therapists
At Sommer Psychology Group, our specialized team of clinicians are dedicated to supporting individuals struggling with anxiety, OCD, and related disorders. We offer comprehensive care through assessment and evaluation, evidence-based therapy and treatment, education, and ongoing consultation.
Exposure Therapy in indianapolis
Questions About Exposure Therapy
Can anxiety be treated with exposure therapy?
How does exposure therapy help stop anxiety from interfering with my life?
What causes anxiety and how does expsoure therapy address it?
Why can’t I just relax or think my way out of anxiety?
How long does exposure therapy take to work?
Have More Questions?
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