Provoked anxiety as a treatment of exhibitionism.

A treatment for male genital exposure (exhibitionism) has been given successfully to 15 persons who have previously been resistant to change. The procedure involves the subject undressing before a mixed sex audience, followed by video-taping and subsequent replay to the patient. During the period of nakedness the subject describes in detail the events, his expectations and attitudes, and those attributed to his victim during exposure. The success of the treatment appears to depend on the profound anxiety induced. During the phase of greatly increased anxiety, cognitive changes previously resisted seem to be made possible.