A University of Otago trial has found virtual reality video could be used as a cure for common phobias like spiders, flying, needles, heights and dogs.
Virtual reality headset. File photo. Photo: Unsplash
The trial saw 129 people take part and the results showed a 75 percent reduction in their phobia symptoms after just six weeks.
Prior to the virtual reality element of the project, involved participants use modules in an app to learn new techniques to manage anxiety such as mindfulness.
The participants then put on a virtual reality headset before they are exposed to situations which increase their anxiety.
"People report that if felt very realistic" - Associate Professor Cameron Lacey
Trial leader Associate Professor Cameron Lacey told Morning Report the virtual reality scenarios would then become increasingly fearful as participants became more accustomed to the discomfort.
"It's using established graded exposure principle and so people start for example with spiders with a small spider a long distance away and then work their way through to for example a large tarantula very close," he said.
Lacey said the virtual reality scenarios were filmed in real life which made the experience highly immersive.
"People report that if felt very realistic and these people are very sensitive to any images associated with their phobia so for them it achieved exactly what we wanted," he said.
People with a phobia of spiders, for example, experienced increased anxiety levels easily triggered by images or even soft toy representations of the insect, Lacey said.
The research project is now aiming to expand the range of phobias targeted in the experiment while also starting a project with a focus on social anxiety disorder.