Explain how systematic desensitization might be used to treat a person with a phobia of heights

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER:
Systematic desensitization involves replacing a fear or anxiety response with an incompatible response of relaxation and positive emotion. Anxiety and relaxation are competing responses. You cannot feel both at the same time; you can only feel one or the other. So the aim of systematic desensitization is to have a client learn how to relax and then slowly and systematically introduce the feared object, situation, or thought while the client maintains a positive state of pleasure or relaxation.
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Systematic desensitization is accomplished in three basic steps. First, the client is trained in progressive muscle relaxation. Once the client has learned progressive relaxation, the client and therapist develop an anxiety hierarchy. An anxiety hierarchy is a list of situations or items that trigger a client’s anxiety or fear. In the third step, progressive relaxation and the anxiety hierarchy are combined. Relaxation is paired with each item in the hierarchy. As the client becomes able to imagine a feared situation and remain relaxed, the next item in the hierarchy is addressed. Over several therapy sessions, this systematic process continues until the client has become desensitized to all items in the hierarchy.