Virtual reality battles phobias and anxiety
Sarah Cheung
Staff Writer
October 2018
Staff Writer
October 2018
Two years ago, virtual reality headsets enhanced peoples' video games. Now they reduce their fear of heights. After 20 years of research, a new application of virtual reality (VR) has finally reached the mainstream: treating phobias. This method is designed to dissipate patients' sources of anxieties in a safer, cheaper, and more efficient manner. Psychologist Barbara Rothbaum, Ph.D., first pioneered the new practice at the Emory University School of Medicine. In 1996, she and Larry Hodges, Ph.D., founded the company Virtually Better with, according to its website, the goal of creating VR environments to treat anxiety disorders. They sought to advance the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and phobias, including fears of public speaking, flying, and heights. Since then, a number of companies have made technological contributions to the field of behavioral healthcare. Such companies include the startup Limbix in Palo Alto, and Psious, an agency in Spain. Both work to ensure that VR applications are accessible to a wide range of clinics and hospitals. Another notable advancement is Bravemind, a VR product developed at the University of Southern California that treats PTSD. The need for treatment is real and well-founded. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Edition V) recognizes phobias as a legitimate disorder. |
They can stem from hereditary and environmental causes, or even develop as a result of evolution, if one's ancestors developed a necessary fear of something in order to survive. However, they go beyond the ordinary sense of fear.
"There is a difference between being afraid of something and having a phobia," said Michelle McKee, a psychology teacher. "Phobias have physiological responses and often paralyze people. A phobia is classified as an anxiety disorder, because when in the presence of the phobia, a person experiences anxiety symptoms to the point of not being able to function normally."
Ayden Smith, a senior, has a fear of fire that he believes evolved from a childhood incident.
"When I was young, I tried to start a campfire but I was holding the match incorrectly and let it burn for too long, so I burned my finger," Smith said. “I do love to cook now, and sometimes I get scared and mess up when the pan flares up after pouring in a flammable liquid.”
Up until now, treatment has commonly involved the physical presence of the anxiety-provoking subject. In systematic desensitization, for example, the patient is trained in relaxation techniques and then confronts increasingly frightening stimuli in order to practice those techniques. Another treatment type is in vivo exposure therapy, which places the patient in an environment where they directly interact with the things they fear and avoid.
Virtual reality therapy retains the same core idea as traditional exposure therapy: patients face a thing or obstacle and are eventually able to confront it without excessive anxiety. But with the addition of technology, a patient can stay within the confidential and accessible realm of their therapist's office, as well as benefit from potential cost reductions.
If the phobia to be treated involves a situation that must be sought outside of an office, like flying, virtual reality headsets eliminate the need to even leave the room. If effective, the client can attend sessions without the extra travel expenses.
Some predict that the new VR therapy will also lead to safer and faster results. From the office, a therapist can design the world of the patient to make it as suitable to their needs as possible. There is no immediate danger, such as a spider physically biting an arachnophobic patient. And with the world of the viewer precisely appropriate to their needs, they can learn to battle their anxieties much quicker than before.
Again, patients' expenses will foreseeably fall due to less visits. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some therapy sessions currently cost $100 or more per hour — which, for some, comes out-of-pocket. Not all U.S. health insurance providers cover the total costs of therapy, or even at all. The advantages of VR might allow many more Americans to get the help they need.
But despite the positive outlook, there is no guarantee that methods such as this will prove useful for everyone. Dr. Susan Watkins is a therapist who specializes in both relationship conflict and awareness approaches for stress and anxiety management.
"There are a lot of good treatments for phobias in existence already. Some were once predicted to be super efficient, and some actually were, but in reality, they work on a case-by-case basis," Watkins said. "The VR strategy sounds interesting and trendy, and it will likely pull a lot of Silicon Valley-types into it. For some people, it may be very helpful, but there's no way we can definitely say this will work better than other methods because it's not 'one size fits all.'"
Whether or not the infiltration of VR into mainstream healthcare lives up to its predictions, Watkins sees open-mindedness as the best approach to treating patients, as well as catering towards their best interests.
"Therapists are advised to know a broad spectrum of methods, but they have to learn what's best for the individual," she said. "Let's see how VR will work — it's worth giving it a try. But I don't think it's going to solve every case. The strongest healing factor in any therapeutic process is the relationship between the therapist and patient, and no machine can replace that."
"There is a difference between being afraid of something and having a phobia," said Michelle McKee, a psychology teacher. "Phobias have physiological responses and often paralyze people. A phobia is classified as an anxiety disorder, because when in the presence of the phobia, a person experiences anxiety symptoms to the point of not being able to function normally."
Ayden Smith, a senior, has a fear of fire that he believes evolved from a childhood incident.
"When I was young, I tried to start a campfire but I was holding the match incorrectly and let it burn for too long, so I burned my finger," Smith said. “I do love to cook now, and sometimes I get scared and mess up when the pan flares up after pouring in a flammable liquid.”
Up until now, treatment has commonly involved the physical presence of the anxiety-provoking subject. In systematic desensitization, for example, the patient is trained in relaxation techniques and then confronts increasingly frightening stimuli in order to practice those techniques. Another treatment type is in vivo exposure therapy, which places the patient in an environment where they directly interact with the things they fear and avoid.
Virtual reality therapy retains the same core idea as traditional exposure therapy: patients face a thing or obstacle and are eventually able to confront it without excessive anxiety. But with the addition of technology, a patient can stay within the confidential and accessible realm of their therapist's office, as well as benefit from potential cost reductions.
If the phobia to be treated involves a situation that must be sought outside of an office, like flying, virtual reality headsets eliminate the need to even leave the room. If effective, the client can attend sessions without the extra travel expenses.
Some predict that the new VR therapy will also lead to safer and faster results. From the office, a therapist can design the world of the patient to make it as suitable to their needs as possible. There is no immediate danger, such as a spider physically biting an arachnophobic patient. And with the world of the viewer precisely appropriate to their needs, they can learn to battle their anxieties much quicker than before.
Again, patients' expenses will foreseeably fall due to less visits. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some therapy sessions currently cost $100 or more per hour — which, for some, comes out-of-pocket. Not all U.S. health insurance providers cover the total costs of therapy, or even at all. The advantages of VR might allow many more Americans to get the help they need.
But despite the positive outlook, there is no guarantee that methods such as this will prove useful for everyone. Dr. Susan Watkins is a therapist who specializes in both relationship conflict and awareness approaches for stress and anxiety management.
"There are a lot of good treatments for phobias in existence already. Some were once predicted to be super efficient, and some actually were, but in reality, they work on a case-by-case basis," Watkins said. "The VR strategy sounds interesting and trendy, and it will likely pull a lot of Silicon Valley-types into it. For some people, it may be very helpful, but there's no way we can definitely say this will work better than other methods because it's not 'one size fits all.'"
Whether or not the infiltration of VR into mainstream healthcare lives up to its predictions, Watkins sees open-mindedness as the best approach to treating patients, as well as catering towards their best interests.
"Therapists are advised to know a broad spectrum of methods, but they have to learn what's best for the individual," she said. "Let's see how VR will work — it's worth giving it a try. But I don't think it's going to solve every case. The strongest healing factor in any therapeutic process is the relationship between the therapist and patient, and no machine can replace that."