Very good article, but I would say that exposure therapy has limits. I live in an area with lots of rattlesnakes and am terrified of them. I'm certainly not going to risk a venomous bite to get over my fear.
They actually use somewhat the opposite of this type of training with dogs to keep them from messing with rattlesnakes. It's more controlled, so the rattlesnake has a rubber band that keeps its mouth shut and the conditioning is given to the dog using a shock collar, but it doesn't take too many shocks before the dog won't go anywhere near a rattlesnake. It may seem cruel, but for dogs that live in area with lots of rattlesnakes where they allowed outside on their own, it can be lifesaving.
Now that I'm thinking about it, opposite is probably the wrong word...it's more of the reverse. Whereas the man in the story is using the game to condition himself to learn that there's no (emotional) shock where one is expected, the dog trainers use exposure therapy to train dogs that there is a shock where one isn't expected. They're two sides of the same coin.
Actually generalized fear of the venemous snakes is irrational. It's an overgeneralization. You should be afraid of stepping on or near a snake by accident. But if you are 20 feet away from a rattlesnake who is aware of your presence, you are not in any danger.
I believe this is correct. Fear of a snake isn't irrational because it resides in a very primitive part of our brain. But when that fear becomes prohibitive and makes it difficult for you to do every-day things then it has become irrational. That's where exposure therapy can be successful. Its not going to eliminate that primitive fear. That's almost instinct in humans at this point. But it is going to make it so you can watch TV without worrying about seeing a snake on it. Or, rather, make it so you don't care that there's a snake on it I guess.
Now that I'm thinking about it, opposite is probably the wrong word...it's more of the reverse. Whereas the man in the story is using the game to condition himself to learn that there's no (emotional) shock where one is expected, the dog trainers use exposure therapy to train dogs that there is a shock where one isn't expected. They're two sides of the same coin.