Synchrony and desynchrony in high and low arousal subjects undergoing therapeutic exposure.

A comparison of synchrony and desynchrony was made among phobic patients exposed to imaginal flooding under conditions of high and low arousal, respectively. Subjective anxiety (SUDs) and skin conductance (SC) were recorded at five minute intervals during three separate sessions. Results showed some degree of synchrony (small positive relationship) between the two measures for the high arousal group and desynchrony (no relationship) between these measures for the low arousal group. However, with the exception of two cases, one from each group, the findings were by no means clear-cut, suggesting that other factors besides level of arousal may be responsible for individual differences in synchrony.