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Use in Reducing Fears and Unhealthy Avoidance Behavior
Use of cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy in conjunction with fear-avoidance models has shown success at reducing fears of exercise and extreme lethargy, such as patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers found that reducing fears about presumed harm from physical activity and exercise was key to stimulating subjects to resume their normal daily activities and reducing chronic fatigue. Thus, analysis of fear-avoidance models and reduction of fear-avoidance beliefs in patients was the primary source of patient health recovery.

More broadly, fear-avoidance can be seen as an avoidance of anxiety over perceived or anticipated pain from physical activities. A key feature of the avoidance model is negative reinforcement, by which behavior is reworded by the removal of unwanted stimuli. In the case of certain physical activities or situations, fear-avoidance is reinforced when activities are avoided to remove unpleasant anxiety resulting from the fear of said activities or situations. Fear-avoidance is thus a positive feedback loop.

The key to breaking this cycle is first, understanding the cause of one's fears, and more importantly, focusing on how one reacts to them. Once anxiety is reduced by participating the feared activity, the avoidance of anxiety is no longer reinforced.

Assessment of the Model
Much research of the fear-avoidance model has lead some to question the validity, or accuracy, of the model's ability to represent or predict actual avoidance of physical activity due to negative reinforcement. Certain instances where the anxiety-inducing behavior is avoided so completely may never directly involve the fear response, and other factors concerning the spatial awareness and perceived level of danger of a particular avoidance strategy further complicate the model. While the model may be somewhat simplistic for every situation involving fear and/or chronic pain and discomfort, its effectiveness is generally acknowledged for diagnosing and understanding how humans can react, either positively or negatively, to fear and anxiety.