Exposure Practice & Learning Logs

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Exposure works by helping your brain learn that feared outcomes are less likely — or more manageable — than anxiety predicts. These logs guide you through planning each exposure, recording what happened session by session, and reflecting on what you learned. Used consistently, they build compelling evidence that anxiety decreases with practice.

📋 Plan

Set a clear target, identify safety behaviours to drop, and prepare your coping supports before you begin

📝 Log Each Session

Record your predictions, what actually happened, and your SUDS ratings before, during, and after each exposure

💡 Learn and Reflect

After each exposure, capture the key learning — what the experience tells you about anxiety and your ability to cope

📊 Track Progress

Use the multi-session tracking log to see patterns over time and build evidence that anxiety reduces with repeated practice

How to Use These Logs

Work through all four parts in order. Parts 1 and 2 are completed before and during each exposure session. Parts 3 and 4 are completed afterwards. Bring your completed logs to your therapy sessions to review progress together.

Graded Exposure Planner

Before starting exposure work, identify your target fear, what you predict will happen, and which safety behaviours you will aim to reduce. Prepare your coping supports in advance so you have a plan ready when anxiety rises.

Exposure Session Log

For each individual session, record your predicted fear level, your task plan, and safety behaviours you will drop. During the session, note your peak fear. Afterwards, record your end fear rating and what you noticed about anxiety over time.

Exposure Learning Log

After each session, reflect on what actually happened compared to your prediction. The key question is: what did this experience teach you about anxiety, safety, or your ability to cope? This reflection is where the learning is consolidated.

Exposure Tracking Log

Use this multi-session table to log each practice over time. Tracking SUDS start, peak, and end across sessions builds visible evidence that anxiety reduces with practice — which is itself a powerful form of learning.

💡 Reminders: Complete each exposure in an environment with minimal distractions. Aim to stay until peak anxiety reduces by at least half, or for a minimum of 10–15 minutes. Do not use distraction or reassurance to escape the feeling — your brain needs to experience coping without safety behaviours for learning to occur.

My Exposure Logs

Complete This Section

Work through each part in order. Use SUDS (0–100) to rate anxiety throughout, where 0 = completely calm and 100 = extreme distress.

Part 1: Graded Exposure Planner

Target and Rationale

Target situation or fear:

Feared outcome — what do you think will happen?

Why this matters to me (values or goals):

Safety Behaviours to Reduce

Examples: reassurance seeking, over-preparing, checking, carrying items "just in case", always sitting near the exit, using your phone as a distraction

Safety behaviours I will aim to reduce or drop:

Rules for Each Exposure

Stay with the task until anxiety drops by about 50% or for at least 10–15 minutes
Do not use distraction or reassurance to escape the feeling
Use helpful supports that keep you engaged, such as slow breathing or grounding
Repeat the same step daily or often until it feels easier two times in a row

My coping supports during exposure:

Slow breathing Grounding with senses Compassionate self-talk Brief reset (stand, sip water, re-engage)

Part 2: Exposure Session Log

Before the Exposure

Date:

Situation / Trigger — what situation, place, object, or thought are you exposing yourself to?

Predicted fear level (0–100):

Exposure task plan — what exactly will I do today?

How long will I stay in the situation?

Safety behaviours I will try to reduce or avoid:

During the Exposure

Peak fear level (0–100):

How long until anxiety started to decrease?

After the Exposure

Fear / distress level at the end (0–100):

What did I notice about my anxiety over time?

Helpful thoughts I practised / learned:

Part 3: Exposure Learning Log

Exposure works by helping you learn that feared outcomes are more manageable than expected. This log helps you reflect on what you learned from each exposure — even if anxiety did not reduce as much as you hoped.

Example — Completed Learning Log

Exposure task

Standing in a queue at the supermarket

What I predicted would happen

I would panic and have to leave

What actually happened

Anxiety increased, but I stayed and it passed

Anxiety before → after

70 → 40

What I learned

Anxiety can rise without leading to danger, and I can cope

What helped me stay

Slow breathing and reminding myself I could leave if needed

What I would do differently

Stay a little longer next time

My Learning Log

Exposure task — what exposure did you practise?

What I predicted would happen:

What actually happened:

Anxiety before (0–100): Anxiety after (0–100):

What I learned — about anxiety, safety, or my ability to cope:

What helped me stay with the exposure:

What I would do differently next time:

Part 4: Exposure Tracking Log

Multi-Session Progress Record

Each time you practise an exposure step, record the details below. Tracking SUDS ratings across sessions builds visible evidence that anxiety decreases with practice.

Date	Exposure Situation / Step	SUDS Start (0–100)	SUDS Peak	SUDS End	Safety Dropped (Y/N)	What I Learned

🌿 Remember: The goal is not to eliminate anxiety — it is to learn that you can tolerate it and that your predictions are not always accurate. Every exposure session, however imperfect, adds to the evidence that you are capable of coping. Progress is rarely linear, and that is completely normal.