distraction, drug or alcohol use, or other safety behaviors (for example, wearing makeup 
to hide blushing).
INTRODUCTION TO SYMPTOM EXPOSURE
Symptom exposure involves using speciﬁc exercises to bring on physical sensations that 
make you uncomfortable or anxious. Initially, the exercises are practiced in “safe” situa -
tions, like your home. After you get used to the exercises, the next step is to try them 
in anxiety-provoking situations, such as immediately before entering a social or perfor -
mance situation. Examples of symptom exposure exercises are listed here, along with 
the sensations they typically trigger (Antony et al. 2006; Antony and Swinson 2000). 
In addition to this list, there are many other possible exercises that can be used. For 
example, if you are afraid of a choking or gagging feeling in your throat, wearing a 
necktie or scarf may be a good way of creating this feeling for the purpose of exposure 
therapy. It’s best to consider these exercises only as a partial list. At the end of the list, 
there is space for you to record additional exercises that might be useful for triggering 
symptoms that you fear.