Do you feel extremely panicked on seeing a huge spider? Do you avoid taking observation elevators due to the heights? If so, you may have a specific phobia, a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation that many people are suffering just like you!
In a prevalence study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximately 12.5% of U.S. adults experience specific phobia at some time in their lives. Arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, heads most Top 10 phobia lists, although it’s impossible to be precise about the true order.
In recent years, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy(VRET), a treatment that immerses patients in a virtual environment while exposing them to their feared stimulus, has become a crucial phobia treating method. As a new alternative means for exposure therapy, it eliminates the hazardousness of in-vivo exposure and the difficulty of forcing patients to imagine and describe their fears in the imaginal exposure. The safety of patients is guaranteed while they are interacting with a representation of their phobia.
Virtual Reality could help fight phobias, anxiety, and addictions by Poulami Nag; Image Source: argyllfreepress.com
Besides its advantage of eliminating dangers from real stimuli, VRET is also extremely convenient and can even be set up at home for its mobility. Patients will thus benefit from self-guided treatments outside the clinic. Here are two examples:
Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia offers a self-guided exposure therapy for those who have an irrational fear of spiders. With five levels of exposure, the user is exposed to an increasing number of spiders in the room. As if that were not enough of a stressor, you are not allowed to move your hands or arms during the session. Over time, you can condition yourself to spiders being near you — without your fight or flight response kicking in and causing you to scurry frantically in search of the nearest shoe.
Video Source: Steam; https://store.steampowered.com/app/485270/Arachnophobia/
Fear of Heights
The fear of heights is shared by a huge population. From mild dizziness when looking out of a second-story window to full panic when riding an escalator, most of those who suffer would try anything to avoid triggering their anxiety.
Richie’s Plank Experience places you on a plank, 80 stories above ground. You are encouraged to use a physical plank for added immersion. For those who might be afraid of both heights and spiders, you can elect to have spiders waiting at the end of your plank.
Video Source: Steam; https://store.steampowered.com/app/517160/Richies_Plank_Experience/
In the future, will virtual reality release more potentials? Let’s wait and see.
Nancy(Leqi) Wan
