Implosive therapy and desensitization therapy using free association in the treatment of inpatients.

Psychiatric inpatients were treated with either implosive therapy or a desensitization procedure using free association. Patients receiving only hospital milieu treatment served as controls. Ratings of achievement of individualized behavioral goals, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and the Mooney Problem Checklist were administered before and after treatment and at 6 mo. following treatment. Employment and hospitalization status were recorded during the year following treatment. Both individually treated groups showed immediate outcomes superior to controls; the implosive group was superior on more measures and maintained improvement better at 6 mo. As predicted, the implosive group reported more anxiety-related physiological stress (heart pounding, butterflies in stomach, etc.) during therapy sessions than 5s in the desensitization group. Support was not obtained, however, for the hypothesis that the degree of self-reported stress during therapy sessions was related to behavior change.