I don't think I did a very formal form of exposure therapy, but in the past I had a period when I experienced agoraphobia and certain specific phobias (like fear of choking on red meat and fear of going into my basement). All of these fears required exposure practice. My therapist (a great psychologist) gave me direction on what to do for the exposure. It took some time, but I did overcome all of these fears for the most part. There's definitely reason for optimism.