Unstuck App Launches Cutting-Edge Exposure Therapy Tool

Unstuck's Exposure Journal treats anxiety using the latest "inhibitory retrieval" approach to exposure therapy.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Unstuck, the CBT journaling app designed to help users overcome anxiety and depression, is launching the Exposure Journal, a self-guided experience utilizing a novel approach to exposure therapy that's based on the latest science. The feature is now available to new and existing users.

Exposure therapy is an incredibly powerful tool, effective at treating anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, and panic disorder. Traditional methods of exposure therapy are based on habituation, the idea that you can reduce fears by getting used to feared situations. Unstuck's approach is based on the inhibitory retrieval model of exposure therapy (Craske et al., 2022). Exposures to feared situations are used to build new memories and associations that "inhibit" the retrieval of existing fear associations. Research shows that therapy using this latest model is more effective at extinguishing fears in the long run.

"Exposure therapy can be life-changing. I've seen it help patients break free from their anxiety to go on to live their fullest lives," said Stephanie Yu, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist & Co-founder of Unstuck. "Everyone deserves high quality mental health care. But the unfortunate reality is that there are so many barriers to accessing evidence-based treatments. That's why we're passionate about bringing self-guided exposure therapy to our users — so that more people can have the agency to access tools for healing."

Unstuck's Exposure Journal guides users through the process of:

• Identifying the root fear that's causing issues in their lives.
• Designing exposure scenarios that function as experiments for testing whether the situation will be as bad as imagined.
• Selecting and conducting the highest impact exposure.
• Reflecting on the outcome and internalizing the learnings to maximize the potency of the experience.

Unstuck's Approach to Mental Health
Despite being built by a small team, Unstuck stands out from the rest of the mental health app market by focusing on evidence-based, long-term change rather than convenience or short-term relief.

Unstuck's CBT Thought Journal empowers users to overcome unhelpful thinking patterns and gain insights into their mental health. Over the past year, 81% of users with at least moderate anxiety reported symptom improvement after just one month of using Unstuck. These results demonstrate the app's effectiveness in providing real and tangible relief to those in need. With the new exposure therapy feature, Unstuck is continuing to advance its mission of making mental health tools as accessible as possible.

For more information, please visit https://becomeunstuck.app.

Media Contact:
Maria Hagsten
+1 415-481-9564
[email protected]

SOURCE Unstuck