“…Habituation can be assumed an indicator of change ( Jacoby and Abramowitz, 2016 ) that, according to IL theory, may or may not occur. Accordingly, from a clinical point of view, there are difficulties distinguishing habituation-based from IL-based procedures ( Sauer and Witthöft, 2022 ). As Weisman and Rodebaugh (2018 , p. 36) put it, IL should thus be regarded “an overarching way to conduct exposure,” “a unified exposure paradigm, with dual foci on violating expectancies and incorporating variability,” and thereby an “ideal path to improving the efficacy of exposure.” In addition, there are further important mechanisms of change, such as increased distress tolerance, or improved self-efficacy, which also contribute to the effectiveness of exposure (e.g., Knowles and Olatunji, 2019 ; Sauer and Witthöft, 2022 ).…”