Exposure therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is used to treat specific anxieties or phobias. It involves exposing yourself to what you are fearful of with the hopes of eventually retraining your brain to be less afraid. It is much deeper than just getting used to the fear - exposure therapy retrains your brain to stop sending the fear signal when there is not any real danger. Most people understand that their anxieties and phobias are irrational and exaggerated, but this does not necessary reduce the fear response. What ends up happening is the person will avoid the fear, which can end up strengthening it.