Exposure hierarchy for fear: an 8-step sales ladder.

Predict outcomes, not feelings.

Your exposure hierarchy for fear starts with one small, frightening step and a number. However, the prediction must be about events, not emotions. Craske's team notes that predicting you will "get anxious" is useless, since you will. So write something checkable, like "80 per cent chance the supplier never replies."

Building your exposure hierarchy for fear.

Next, write eight steps between tonight and your first sale. Each should feel only slightly bigger than the last. For example, with homemade sauces, step one is emailing three shops, predicting "zero of the three will reply within a week." Step four takes a jar in person, and step eight asks for an order. In short, this fear ladder exercise needs outcomes the world can confirm or break.

Why surprise and variety matter.

Craske's team calls surprise the key, so design steps that violate your expectation clearly. This expectancy violation exposure works best with a sharp number, because a vague one teaches vaguely. Also, a 2013 Würzburg study of thirty spider-phobic people found fear returned less after practice in several virtual rooms. Therefore, mix email, phone calls and walking in through a door.