Flooding in vivo is a rapid, safe, simple, and effective method for treating
phobias. Since it is specifically tied to a defined stimulus situation and can be
turned on and off at will, it also lends itself to experimental investigation of a
number of clinically significant problems. Among these are the psychology,
physiology, and pharmacology of anxiety and therapeutic change and the behavior
of therapists and patients during therapy. Among the early substantive
findings with the technique are that cortisol is not necessarily secreted during
anxiety, and that phobias do not “protect” against other, possibly more serious
disorders.