flooding

flooding /flood·ing/ (flud´ing) a form of desensitization for treating phobias and anxieties by repeated exposure to highly distressing stimuli until the lack of reinforcement of the anxiety response causes its extinction. It is usually used for actual exposure to the stimuli, with implosion used for imagined exposure, but the two terms are sometimes used synonymously.

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flood·ing (fldng)

n.

A form of desensitization used in behavior therapy in which the patient imagines or is actually exposed to anxiety-producing stimuli.

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flooding

a technique of training or behavior modification in which an extreme version of a feared stimulus is applied and continued until the fear response is diminished.