An introduction to VR Therapy
So many of us suffer from anxieties and phobias. Helping you overcome yours is my expertise and my passion.
Exposure therapy is perhaps the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders and phobias. Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment that was developed to assist people through confronting their fears. We ‘expose’ clients to environments that make them anxious to show them just how little there is to actually fear.
Sometimes recreating these environments is easily done. We can readily replicate a crowd or heights or an elevator.
Other environments, of course, are not easily or safely replicated in the real world.
Modern technology, specifically virtual reality technologies, has provided a powerful new tool to quickly, safely, and cost-effectively simulate most any environment.
How does it work?
We use a smartphone, a virtual reality headset, and specialized software to simulate environments that are currently giving you high anxiety.
Because we have amazing control of the variables, we can increase or decrease the intensity of any simulated environment. It can be repeated as often as needed and modified as progress is made.
The technologies for the treatment are reasonably priced, so VR therapy can take place remotely as well as in the office setting.
What can VR Therapy help with?
The list of scenarios that VR therapy can address is lengthy and continually growing. Common anxieties and phobias include:
Fear of flying (Aviophobia)
Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia)
Fear of insects (Entomophobia)
Fear of animals (Zoophobia)
Fear of driving (Amaxophobia)
Fear of crowds (Agoraphobia)
Fear of small places (Claustrophobia)
Fear of heights (Acrophobia)
Fear of needles (Trypanophobia)
Fear of doctors (Iatrophobia)
Fear of darkness (Nyctophobia)
Fear of water (Aquaphobia)
VR Therapy can also greatly help with OCD, social anxieties, and eating disorders.
Links / More info
NIH / National Library of Medicine – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10350911/
American Psychological Association – A virtual cure – https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/cure
BBC / Science Focus – Why virtual reality therapy is the frontier of mental health treatment – https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/phobias-paranoia-and-ptsd-why-virtual-reality-therapy-is-the-frontier-of-mental-health-treatment/
Contact me today
I provide VR therapy for anxieties and phobias to clients in Princeton, New Jersey and all across New Jersey.
Please contact me today to discuss your individual situation and to learn more about the benefits of VR therapy.
You can use the contact form below – or – call me at 609-902-3271