The return of fear
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Self-citationFailure in treating obsessive–compulsives
Foa, E. B. (1979) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(79)90031-7 · Cited by 305 · see citing works
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Effects of an expanding-spaced vs massed exposure schedule on fear reduction and return of fear
Rowe, M. K., & Craske, M. G. (1998) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(97)10016-x · Cited by 1,782 · see citing works
Context, ambiguity, and unlearning: sources of relapse after behavioral extinction
Bouton, M. E. (2002) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01546-9 · Cited by 1,662 · see citing works
“For instance, in anxiety disorders, Rachman (1979, 1989) documented a " return of fear " after exposure therapy that seems reminiscent of spontaneous recovery.”
BackgroundContextual and temporal modulation of extinction: behavioral and biological mechanisms
Bouton, M. E., Westbrook, R. F., Corcoran, K. A., & Maren, S. (2006) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.12.015 · Cited by 671 · see citing works
Rachman, S. (1980) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(80)90069-8 · Cited by 657 · see citing works
Self-citationMcNally, R. J. (2007) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.003 · Cited by 348 · see citing works
EARLY INTERVENTIONS FOR PTSD: A REVIEW: Review: Early Intervention
Kearns, M. C., Ressler, K. J., Zatzick, D., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2012) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.21997 · Cited by 310 · see citing works
“Another similarity across exposure therapy and extinction training is a partial return of the conditioned response following exposure/extinction training at the beginning of the next session, referred to as the return of fear[89] in the clinical literature and spontaneous recovery in the extinction literature.”
BackgroundNeo-conditioning and the classical theory of fear acquisition
Rachman, S. (1991) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/0272-7358(91)90093-a · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Self-citationReinstatement of fear responses in human aversive conditioning.
Hermans, D., Dirikx, T., Vansteenwegenin, D., Baeyens, F., den Bergh, O. V., & Eelen, P. (2005) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.03.013 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Effects of varied-stimulus exposure training on fear reduction and return of fear
Rowe, M. K., & Craske, M. G. (1998) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(97)10017-1 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Vansteenwegen, D., Hermans, D., Vervliet, B., Francken, G., Beckers, T., Baeyens, F., & Eelen, P. (2005) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.01.001 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Jacoby, R. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.07.001 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Abramowitz, J. S., Foa, E. B., & Franklin, M. E. (2003) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.71.2.394 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
“In contrast, the IT program may enhance immediate outcome, but result in a long-term return of fear (Rachman, 1979).”
ResultThe return of fear: Review and prospect
Rachman, S. (1989) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/0272-7358(89)90025-1 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Self-citationThe etiology of specific phobias: A review
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Context-specificity of relapse: effects of therapist and environmental context on return of fear.
Rodriguez, B. I., Craske, M., Mineka, S., & Hladek, D. (1999) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(98)00106-5 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Boschen, M. J., Neumann, D. L., & Waters, A. M. (2009) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/00048670802607154 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
“Rachman in a seminal paper in 1979 [63].”
BackgroundFear of snakes in wild- and laboratory-reared rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
Mineka, S., Keir, R., & Price, V. (1980) · Animal Learning & Behavior · doi:10.3758/bf03197783 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Agoraphobia: A safety-signal perspective
Rachman, S. (1984) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(84)90033-0 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
“summarized by Rachman (1979) suggests that certain kinds of fear, especially those overcome by the acquisition of coping skills, require constant practice in order to keep them at bay.”
BackgroundSelf-citationTsao, J. C. I., & Craske, M. G. (2000) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(00)80026-x · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Vervliet, B., Vansteenwegen, D., Baeyens, F., Hermans, D., & Eelen, P. (2005) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.02.005 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Johnstone, K. A., & Page, A. C. (2003) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(03)00137-2 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
“Indicators of incomplete processing include a lack of between session habituation, and a ROF after a period where the fear has decreased for some time ( Rachman, 1979 )1.”
BackgroundEmotional processing, with special reference to post-traumatic stress disorder
Rachman, S. (2001) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540260120074028 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
“These events can be re-described in contemporary terms as an example of discordance (Rachman, 1978a).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationVicarious Fear Learning Depends on Empathic Appraisals and Trait Empathy
Olsson, A., McMahon, K., Papenberg, G., Zaki, J., Bolger, N., & Ochsner, K. N. (2016) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797615604124 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
“Indeed, research on social fear learning in humans and other species has shown that the mere sight of a conspecific’s (demonstrator’s) distress can serve as a potent proxy for the individual’s own, direct, experience, thereby offering a more safe and efficient route to learning as compared with individual trial and er…”
BackgroundGoode, T. D., & Maren, S. (2014) · ILAR Journal · doi:10.1093/ilar/ilu008 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
“As a consequence, fear can readily overpower extinction, and extinguished fear may return under a variety of conditions (Boschen et al. 2009; Bouton 2002; Ji andMaren 2007; Rachman 1979; Rachman 1989; Vervliet et al. 2012).”
BackgroundRachman, S., & Levitt, K. (1985) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(85)90106-8 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Self-citationExtinction treatment in multiple contexts attenuates ABC renewal in humans
Bandarian‐Balooch, S., Neumann, D. L., & Boschen, M. J. (2012) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2012.06.003 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
A Primate Model of Phobic Fears
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Pharmacological enhancement of fear reduction: preclinical models
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“Additionally, the return of fear following exposure therapy for anxiety disorders fits into the same conceptual framework as the return of fear in rodent laboratory experiments (Rachman, 1989).”
BackgroundLaborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2012) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2012.11.001 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“…may be considered more naturalistic, in the sense that relapse after exposure therapy usually occurs when patients confront disorder-related stimuli outside of the treatment context and after a relatively long time after the endof treatment (e.g., Bouton, 1988;Craske, 1999; Rachman, 1979, 1989).”
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“It has also been shown (42, 43) that high demand experiences are more likely to be followed by a return of fear than low demand experiences.”
BackgroundIs incomplete fear-reduction followed by a return of fear?
Rachman, S., Robinson, S. L., & Lopatka, C. (1987) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(87)90116-1 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
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“Inter-individual variability in fear responses has been previously observed in PTSD patients following successful treatment (Rachman, 1979; Rodriguez et al., 1999; Boschen et al., 2009; Vervliet et al., 2013) or following classical fear conditioning and extinction learning (Milad et al., 2009).”
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“Moreover, limited practice of exposure to anxiety-evoking stimuli may also attenuate emotional processing (Rachman, 1979).”
BackgroundTreatment of Fears and Phobias in Dogs
Tuber, D. S., Hothersall, D., & Peters, M. F. (1982) · Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice · doi:10.1016/s0195-5616(82)50105-2 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
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“Pavlovian relapse, or “return of fear” (Rachman, 1979; Vervliet, Craske, & Hermans, 2013), is the reemergence of a conditioned response following Pavlovian extinction, including renewal, reinstatement, and spontaneous recovery.”
BackgroundMemory modification as an outcome variable in anxiety disorder treatment
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Self-citationThe Extinction and Return of Fear of Public Speaking
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“…between extinction and testing represent a more naturalistic model of the circumstances that provoke the return of fear in anxiety patients following exposure therapy, which often occurs outside of the therapeutic setting and some time following treatment (e.g., Craske, 1999; Rachman, 1979, 1989).”
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Orinstein, A. J., Urcelay, G. P., & Miller, R. R. (2009) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2008.11.001 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“The expression return of fear has been coined to denote this effect (see Rachman, 1979, 1989, for reviews).”
BackgroundAgoraphobia: Appraisal of Research and a Proposal for an Integrative Model
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“Rachman (1979) reviewed literature showing that periods of time following clinical therapy are associated with the “return of fear” from a previously extinguished association (i.e., spontaneous recovery).”
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“strained the time available for consolidation of corrective information and because the contexts in which generalization could take place were limited (and did not include the home environment), this particular treatment regimen may enhance the risk of a longterm “return of fear” (Rachman, 1979).”
BackgroundEmotional Learning and Regulation in Social Situations
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“In fact, the theory often fails to account for the phenomenon of fear renewal, the commonly observed resurgence of fear from post-exposure to follow-up (Rachman, 1979).”
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Stanley ‘Jack’ Rachman (1934–2021)
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The Types of Return of Extinguished Fear Memories
岩, 敏. (2017) · Advances in Psychology · doi:10.12677/ap.2017.711162
- Authors
- Rachman, S.
- Corresponding author
- Rachman, S.
- ORCID
- Rachman, S.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1979
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 164-166
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2110914491
- Cited by
- 66
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- fear extinction, dorsal dentate gyrus, fear reconsolidation, Fos expression, exposure therapy, spatial memory
- MeSH terms
- Fear, Humans, Phobic Disorders, Recurrence
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