situation, nothing bad happens, and your 
anxiety eventually subsides).
These are infrequent  (e.g., because you 
usually avoid when anxious, you are  
not in the feared situation very often. 
Each time you are in the situation, it’s 
like starting over).These are frequent  (e.g., you practice your 
exposures over and over again and close 
together. The beneﬁts of exposures start 
to add up).
These usually involve anxious thinking   
(e.g., “People think I’m an idiot,”  
“People will think I’m incompetent  
if they notice my shaky hands”).These include countering of your anxious 
thoughts  (e.g., you ask yourself questions 
to counter or challenge the anxious 
beliefs and predictions).
These include subtle ways of avoiding  the 
situation (e.g., by distracting yourself, 
using alcohol, bringing someone with 
you, sitting in a certain “safe” location).These do not include subtle avoidance strategies  
(e.g., you make a decision to not use 
these strategies so that you teach your -
self to master the situation on your own).
Adapted from Antony, M. M. and R. P. Swinson. 2000. Phobic Disorders and Panic in Adults: A Guide to Assessment 
and Treatment . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Used with permission.