desensitise
Reduce emotional reaction
Desensitise means to make less sensitive or responsive.
Repeated exposure desensitises people to violence or shocking images—what once disturbed them no longer does.
In medicine, desensitisation treats allergies by gradually exposing patients to allergens until the immune system stops overreacting.
Years of working in emergency rooms had desensitised her to blood.
British spelling of desensitize.
Causing loss of sensation
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- callousnessCruel emotional indifference
- apathyAbsence of feeling
- indifferenceLack of interest
coldness · hardening · emotional distance · disconnection · unfeelingness · impassivity · dispassion · stoicism
Adjusting to new conditions
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- familiarizationBecoming acquainted with something
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- acclimationAdjusting to new conditions
inurement · hardening · exposure therapy · gradual exposure · repeated exposure · normalization · adjustment · attenuation
Anxiety treatment through confrontation
- anxiety reductionLowering excessive worry
- trauma processingAddressing psychological injury effects
- EMDRTrauma therapy using eye movements
- relaxation responseBody's stress-reversing state
coping skills · triggers · reprocessing · counterconditioning
Pain-blocking substance
- analgesicPain-relieving medication
- nerve blockInjection numbing specific area
- local anesthesiaTargeted sensation elimination
- pain reliefEasing of discomfort
lidocaine · novocaine · sedation · pain management · injection site · procedural · pre-treatment · anesthetization
Capacity to disturb
- overexposureExcessive amount of something
- saturationState of complete permeation
- news fatigueExhaustion from media overload
- doom scrollingCompulsive consumption of distressing content
violent imagery · media consumption · content warning · trigger warning · explicit material · viewer discretion · gratuitous · sensationalism
numbing
Causing loss of sensation
- detachmentSeparation or emotional uninvolvement
- callousnessCruel emotional indifference
- apathyAbsence of feeling
indifference · coldness · hardening · emotional distance · disconnection · unfeelingness · impassivity · dispassion · stoicism · deadening
acclimatization
Adjusting to new conditions
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- familiarizationBecoming acquainted with something
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
acclimation · inurement · hardening · exposure therapy · gradual exposure · repeated exposure · normalization · adjustment · attenuation · extinction
exposure therapy
Anxiety treatment through confrontation
- anxiety reductionLowering excessive worry
- trauma processingAddressing psychological injury effects
- EMDRTrauma therapy using eye movements
relaxation response · coping skills · triggers · reprocessing · counterconditioning
anesthetic
Pain-blocking substance
- analgesicPain-relieving medication
- nerve blockInjection numbing specific area
- local anesthesiaTargeted sensation elimination
pain relief · lidocaine · novocaine · sedation · pain management · injection site · procedural · pre-treatment · anesthetization · deadening
shock value
Capacity to disturb
- overexposureExcessive amount of something
- saturationState of complete permeation
- news fatigueExhaustion from media overload
doom scrolling · violent imagery · media consumption · content warning · trigger warning · explicit material · viewer discretion · gratuitous · sensationalism · brutalization
desensitize, desensitized, desensitization, desensitizing, desensitizes, desensitised, desensitises, desensitising, desensitisation