What Can We Learn From Habituation Psychology?

Habituation is what happens when someone is repeatedly exposed to a new stimulus. We get used to something the more we experience it and become desensitized to its effects. Habituation is a survival mechanism that happens in humans and animals, and by knowing what it is, we can use it to our advantage.

How habituation is used

Habituation is used in therapy in many different ways, and here are just a few.

Treating fears and phobias

No one likes dealing with their phobias. A phobia is when you’re deathly terrified of something that’s usually harmless, preventing you from living your life to the fullest. Many phobias can be treated through habituation.

Let’s say you’re afraid of dogs. There is little reason to be afraid of dogs. Most are not going to hurt you. However, you’re scared of them. Maybe it’s because you were bitten as a child, or perhaps it’s irrational. Regardless, the key to solving your fear may be gradual exposure.

You may start looking at photos and watching videos of dogs. Then, you can visit a shelter to get closer to a dog in a cage. Next, you’ll spend time with a dog on a leash outside a cage. Finally, you can get closer to the dog and pet it. The idea is that your fear of dogs will decrease as you’re exposed to them more. 

The time it takes to get used to a stimulus will vary. Someone may be used to a stimulus after a few exposures. However, relearning that behavior could take many exposures if you are terrified of something. If you are receiving therapy to eliminate your fears, patience is essential. It will take a while to relearn your instinctive behaviors.

In social circles

Habituation happens in our daily social lives, too. When we first speak to a stranger, we may be fearful. This is a survival instinct. We are defending against something we are not familiar with. It can also be due to what we were taught as kids. Never talking to strangers is good advice, but when you have to speak to someone as an adult, what you were taught may make you hesitant.

The more you talk to someone, the more you let your guard down. You become less fearful of talking to them, which is usually good. If you haven’t spoken to a friend in a while, that desensitization may lessen, and you may be fearful again when you talk to them.

The best way to avoid feeling fearful when meeting new people is to talk to people regularly. Being more talkative to people, in general, can help you feel less defensive. With that said, a healthy amount of skepticism is essential.

Habituation and treating depression

One of the ways depression is treated is through habituation. Someone with depression may have fallen out of schedule, and this can make their depression worse. Also, a lack of exercise may make their depression worse, too.

Of course, depressed people usually don’t just get up and exercise, even though exercise positively affects people with depression. A counselor may use habituation to adjust to a routine slowly or introduce exercise into their daily regimen. This can help a depressed person live a better life.

Habituation and anxiety

When someone is going through an anxiety attack, a counselor may introduce habituation to calm them down. It’s hard to breathe when you have a panic attack, but if a counselor has helped you learn breathing techniques, you may use them out of habit, allowing you to calm down easier and return to normal.

Habituation can be used to treat many mental disorders. Sometimes, your problems come about because you fell out of habit. A therapist can create a plan to get you back in the habit and live a good life uninhibited.

Habituation and addiction treatment

Habituation is how people become addicted to drugs. They are exposed to a drug and get a favorable reaction from it. After repeated usage, their response isn’t as good, and they may consume more to get that same initial response. This is how addictions form. A counselor who treats addiction may gradually get the person off the drug by reducing the amount they take over time and introducing them to a life without drugs.

How to form new habits

Of course, it’s hard to create new habits, and a counselor may use many different techniques to get someone into a new one. Here is a list of methods a therapist may use.

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. In CBT,  you challenge negative thoughts and replace them with realistic positive ones to affect behavior.
• Someone may get rid of a bad habit by associating that habit with something negative.
• Relaxation techniques. These are techniques that can help calm down a person. For example, breathing exercises can help calm someone in a dire moment, such as craving a pill. These can help a person relax and allow them to avoid their habit.
• Guided imagery. This is when music, art, and words are used to create positivity. Someone may use guided imagery to associate breaking the habit with something more positive.
• Group therapy. Sometimes, the best solution is to be in therapy with people going through the same problems as you are. This can allow for some creative solutions.

What happens in the brain?

You may wonder how the brain adjusts to habituation. Habituation occurs in most animals and even some plants, so you may wonder how it works. How does the brain adapt to a pattern?

One area of the brain that is associated with habituation is the amygdala. This part of the brain is associated with memory and emotional responses, especially anxiety and fear. Scientists have studied how it responds to fear. The amygdala responds to fearful expressions and can change again if it sees a happy expression. As fear is gradually exposed, the amygdala adjusts its emotional response.

It should be noted that our brain is complex, and there are many things that we still don’t know about it. That said, we realize that our brains can adapt because of habituation. You can use habituation to your advantage and live a better life as a result.

Online therapy can help

Getting rid of a bad habit is challenging, as is getting into a good one. However, there is hope. Therapy is one way to get back into a good habit or out of a bad one. While you can do it alone, a professional who knows how your mind works can be useful, especially when creating plans tailored to your needs.

Don’t feel ashamed if you want to kick a habit or get into a good habit. It means you are willing to improve yourself, and that’s always the first step. Talking to a therapist can give you the support you need to make the changes you’re ready to make. 

Online therapy is an excellent option if you’re ready to talk to someone.  When you sign up, you can be matched with someone in as little as 48 hours who can start helping you right away. You don’t have to worry about being on a waiting list for an available appointment. There’s no commute because you attend sessions from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have an internet connection. One review of multiple studies found that online therapy was significantly effective in treating specific phobias and panic disorders and significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you’re ready to get started, sign up to take the next steps.

Takeaway

Habituation psychology can help treat many mental health conditions or help you break a bad habit. If you need support or want to learn more about how habituation works, online therapy can help.