Exposure

Exposure

Exposure as a coping mechanism involves gradually and safely confronting situations, emotions, or triggers that cause fear or anxiety.

The goal of exposure is to reduce the emotional distress associated with specific stimuli by repeatedly exposing yourself to them until the emotional response diminishes.

It is often used in the context of anxiety disorders, but it can also be applicable in coping with various stressors and challenges, including problem gambling.

In this lesson, we’ll learn what exposure is, how it works, and how we can apply it to our own lives.

How Exposure Works

You may be asking yourself, if exposing myself to gambling-related material is bringing up negative emotions and triggering, why would I ever want to do it?!

The reason is that when you repeatedly face a fear or stressor without experiencing the anticipated negative consequences, your brain starts to learn that the threat is not as severe as initially believed. This is a principle called habituation.

The other reason we think exposure can be especially helpful for those struggling with gambling is that it can be very difficult to escape gambling-related content these days.  

This is especially true if you’re a sports fan.  If you find yourself conflicted over wanting to watch your favorite team play, but concerned that when you see that ad from the sportsbook, you’ll be triggered, then engaging in exposure exercises can be especially helpful.

Exposure In Practice

Putting exposure exercises into practice can be tricky, and potentially dangerous to our goals.  Before attempting any exposure exercise, ensure you are in a stable and supportive environment.

Remember that exposure exercises should be done gradually, and it's essential to stop if you feel overwhelmed. Consider working with a therapist or counselor for guidance and support.

If you are ready to explore exposure, we recommend you start by:

• Identifying specific triggers that may lead to gambling urges or emotional distress.  These triggers could be places, objects, thoughts, or emotions associated with gambling.

For example, watching an advertisement for a Sportsbook on television, receiving an email promotion of “Free Bets”, or getting invited out to the casino by your friends could all be triggers for you. 

• Rating the level of anxiety or emotional distress you experience when thinking about or encountering these triggers on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being minimal distress, 10 being maximum).

For example, seeing an ad on television may be a 5, receiving an email offering free bonus bets may be a 7, and your friends inviting you to a night of gambling at a casino may be a 10.

In this way, you create what we would call a hierarchy of triggers.

Practical Exercise

Before we jump in, let’s set one very clear ground rule: Don’t do anything that puts you at risk of actually gambling. 

 For example, if having money in an online account triggers you to want to gamble, don’t actually deposit money.  Instead, imagine that you had deposited that money, and think of what that would feel like.

If being in a casino is a big trigger for you, don’t actually go there.  Instead, imagine that you were there, and think about what that experience would feel like.  You get the point.

Ok, let’s do it!

Choose one of your lowest-rated triggers for gambling.  Write it down below:

How can you expose yourself to it in a safe manner?

Go ahead and expose yourself to that trigger in a safe manner.

Ok, what did that feel like?  What thoughts or feelings came up?

Closing Thought

Exposure is a technique that can be powerful, but needs to be treated with care, and practiced gradually. As you feel more comfortable with each exposure, you can gradually move up the hierarchy to higher-rated triggers.

Continue practicing controlled exposure until the emotional distress associated with each trigger diminishes.

Remember, exposure is one technique in your arsenal.

It should only be practiced if you can do so without putting yourself in unnecessary danger of returning to unwanted activities.