Expeditions are personalised programs to overcome specific fears, anxieties, or phobias.

They use an evidence-based psychological technique called graded exposure, which helps you overcome a fear by breaking it down into small, incremental steps on an exposure hierarchy. For example, to overcome a fear of spiders, the exposure hierarchy might include:

1. Look at a picture of a spider
2. Watch a video of a spider
3. Look at a real dead spider
4. Look at a real alive spider
5. Hold a real (safe) spider

You practice each step until your distress lowers, as you "get used to it" over time. Once you feel more comfortable doing one of the steps, you can move on to the next, more distressing step and repeat the process of systematic desensitisation. 

It is very important to always make sure that each step is safe and can be stopped at any point if the distress becomes too great.

You can even try relaxation strategies while practicing the steps to help decrease distress.

As always, the support provided by MoodMission is not intended to replace professional support. If you believe you may be experiencing a psychological disorder, please consult your doctor or arrange to see a psychologist for treatment.

We are constantly trying to improve MoodMission, including by adding more Expeditions. If you have any fears or anxieties you would like to suggest as the target of future expeditions, please send them to us below.