| Noun | 1. | systematic desensitisation - a technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety; client is exposed to the threatening situation under relaxed conditions until the anxiety reaction is extinguished desensitisation procedure, desensitisation technique, desensitization procedure, desensitization technique, systematic desensitization behavior modification, behavior therapy - psychotherapy that seeks to extinguish or inhibit abnormal or maladaptive behavior by reinforcing desired behavior and extinguishing undesired behavior exposure therapy - a form of behavior therapy in which a survivor confronts feelings or phobias or anxieties about a traumatic event and relives it in the therapy situation |