Implosive therapy

This therapy is based upon the assumption that conditioned aversive stimuli produce neurotic symptoms as an avoidance response. Rather than direct inhibition of of these symptoms, implosive therapy reproduces verbally or otherwise the maximum number of stimuli of the original conditioning, excluding the unconditioned aversive stimulus; particular emphasis is placed on the stimuli for which the individual can give no explanation. This diminishes the aversiveness if such stimuli are removed from the avoidance responses making up the neurotic behaviour.