chapter 9
Emotional Avoidance
T
here’s a reason people tend to avoid what they dislike:
it’s unpleasant. W hy would anyone in their right
mind actively seek out what they fear? Common sense pre-
vents people from taking unnecessary risks, such as will-
ingly rushing into the middle of a highway filled with
speeding cars or walking into a pit of venomous snakes; we
know that doing so will likely result in a complete disaster.
Although plenty of situations are clearly dangerous, the
threat your emotions communicate to you is often exagger-
ated. Indeed, although experiencing anxiety can be unpleas-
ant, trying to escape from anxiety rarely results in anything
good. This chapter will integrate what you have learned
about emotion regulation and elaborate on the basic princi-
ples of exposure.
How Emotional Avoidance Does
More Harm Than Good
Let’s take a step back to remember how anxiety is main-
tained over time. In addition to physiological symptoms,