Has anyone ever tried this psychological method? (desensitization)

[zinc]

Albert Ellis (famous psychologist) once had a huge fear of being rejected by women, so for 30 days he went out in public and forced himself to ask 100 women out.

He claimed after he did this he was desensitized to the fear of rejection.

So just curious, anyone ever try it for social anxiety? Just force yourself for whatever period of time to speak to as many people as possible?

 

[CosmicNeurotica]

I couldn't do it.
I'd flub it up.
Walk up to girl. Hey (cracked voice). *smile* You look nice. *awkward stare* um thanks. Ok bye. *walks away humiliated*

Oh he asked them out. Well, I guess I could see that working. Could be painful for the first 20 rejections, but you're bound to have someone eventually say yes right.

 

[Sinar_Matahari]

I couldn't do it.
I'd flub it up.
Walk up to girl. Hey (cracked voice). *smile* You look nice. *awkward stare* um thanks. Ok bye. *walks away humiliated*

Oh he asked them out. Well, I guess I could see that working. Could be painful for the first 20 rejections, but you're bound to have someone eventually say yes right.

You don't know that you'd flub it up and even if you do, you can't expect to be a Casanova on your first try. That takes practice. Making mistakes is part of the learning process. Eventually you would get over your fear of making mistakes and you could see them as valuable learning tools. There are millions of women you can practice on so even if you make mistakes with the first hundred, there are millions more.

 

[Feathers]

lol Well said, Serafina.

I guess that could also explain how some girls that have been accused of 'sleeping around' or having a different boyfriend every week ended up with great husbands? (They just practised enough until they got it right?)
(You don't have to actually sleep around to practise though, hm.)

I think there's been a similar thread on this forum, a guy said he'd try something like that - maybe try to find it and ask how it went.

This is the first time I hear it about Albert Ellis, I heard something like that recommended by PUA artist gurus or in drama workshops lol.
Some drama classes had people do odd stuff in the street or chat up strangers with funny things.

It was in a psychology book to go to odd stores and ask for stuff you know they won't be selling, and I've tried this once and it was odd lol! (maybe because I was with a crush? lol - awkward!! high school--)
Then later on I asked for stuff I was genuinely interested in and they didn't have it, and it was quite an okay experience.. They were nice and I was nice.. They just didn't have it..

So it might be easier to practise in stores first?