Data_Sheet_3_Systematic Review of Studies on Subliminal Exposure to Phobic Stimuli: Integrating Therapeutic Models for Specific Phobias.PDF

We systematically review 26 papers investigating subjective, behavioral, and psychophysiological correlates of subliminal exposure to phobic stimuli in phobic patients. Stimulations were found to elicit: (1) cardiac defense responses, (2) specific brain activations of both subcortical (e.g., amygdala) and cortical structures, (3) skin conductance reactions, only when stimuli lasted >20 ms and were administered with intertrial interval >20 s. While not inducing the distress caused by current (supraliminal) exposure therapies, exposure to subliminal phobic stimuli still results in successful extinction of both psychophysiological and behavioral correlates: however, it hardly improves subjective fear. We integrate those results with recent bifactorial models of emotional regulation, proposing a new form of exposure therapy whose effectiveness and acceptability should be maximized by a preliminary subliminal stimulation. Systematic Review Registration: identifier [CRD42021129234].

我们对26篇研究进行了系统性的综述，这些研究探讨了恐惧症患者对恐惧刺激的潜意识暴露的主观、行为和心理生理相关性。研究发现，刺激能够引起：（1）心脏防御反应，（2）特定脑部激活，包括皮层下结构（如杏仁核）和皮层结构，（3）皮肤电导反应，仅当刺激持续时间超过20毫秒且试验间间隔超过20秒时。虽然不会引起当前（阈上）暴露疗法所导致的痛苦，但潜意识恐惧刺激的暴露仍然能够成功消除心理生理和行为相关性；然而，它几乎无法改善主观恐惧感。我们将这些结果与近期情感调节的双因素模型相结合，提出了一种新的暴露疗法形式，其有效性和可接受性应通过初步的潜意识刺激来最大化。系统综述注册：标识符[CRD42021129234]。