Max M. North

Virtual reality graded exposure in the treatment of acrophobia : A case report

This is the first case report to test the efficacy of computer-generated virtual reality (VR) for the treatment of acrophobia (fear of heights). The subject was a 19-year-old undergraduate student with a fear of heights, particularly of elevators. Twice weekly, sessions were conducted for 3 weeks, for a total of 5 sessions. Outcome was assessed on measures of anxiety, avoidance, attitude, distress, and included a behavioral avoidance test. VR graded exposure was successful in reducing fears of heights. VR graded exposure is proposed as a new medium for exposure therapy.

Overcoming phobias by virtual exposure

t is not surprising that phobia treatment would be one of the first successful mental health uses for VR. The sense of being immersed in another setting is particularly valuable in exposure therapy, a treatment technique for phobias. Exposure therapy involves subjecting the patient to anxietyproducing stimuli while allowing the anxiety to attenuate. These stimuli have traditionally been generated by presenting the patient with actual physical situations (in vivo exposure) or by having the patient imagine the stimulus. VR allows a third option of exposure in a virtual setting that is safer, less embarrassing, and less costly then reproducing the real-world situations and more realistic than imagining the danger. An additional advantage of computer-controlled stimuli is that the patient can more easily regulate the level of the induced anxiety by modifying the parameters of the world to reduce or increase fear to match individual tolerance. All phobia treatment studies to date have used a headset to reproduce the feeling of presence in an anxiety-producing situation.

Virtual environments psychotherapy: A case study of fear of flying disorder

Current computer and display technology allows the creation of virtual environment scenes that can be utilized for treating a variety of psychological disorders. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of virtual environment desensitization (VED) in the treatment of a subject who suffered from fear of flying, a disorder that affects a large number of people. The subject, accompanied by a virtual therapist, was placed in the cockpit of a virtual helicopter and flown over a simulated city for five sessions. The VED treatment resulted in both a significant reduction of anxiety symptoms and the ability to face the phobic situations in the real world.