If your life is limited due to intense fears (phobias) of
things like flying, heights, public speaking, or thunderstorms,
Duke Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ state-of-the-art
Virtual Reality Program can help you overcome them.
Virtual reality (VR) therapy has been proven to successfully
treat phobia patients by using simulated real-life experiences
in a safe and confidential setting.
VR Therapy: A Successful Alternative to Traditional Phobia
Treatment
Anxiety disorders -- such as phobias -- can make life
difficult, or even unbearable, for many people. Treatment to
overcome anxiety disorders has traditionally involved
practicing new behaviors while being exposed to the feared
situation. With repeated exposures, the fear response is
gradually replaced with the desired behavior.
While effective, this approach often requires the therapist
and patient to repeatedly venture out into the real world to
encounter the fear-inducing experience. Because each trip
requires an extended time in an uncontrolled environment,
progress may be slow.
VR therapy offers patients a successful alternative to
traditional treatment -- one that can help them break free from
life-limiting phobias, often in a matter of weeks.
How Does VR Therapy Work?
VR uses the most sophisticated computer technology to
recreate the sights and sounds of a fear-provoking situation in
a “virtual” environment. Patients enter this simulated
environment by putting on a head-mount display -- like those
used in virtual reality games. The therapist uses a computer
keyboard to control everything patients see and hear.
For example, a patient with a fear of flying will experience
a variety of flight-related situations, such as sitting on and
taxiing down the runway, taking off, flying in different types
of weather, and landing. The therapist can replay the
simulation of the parts of the flying experience that cause the
patient the most anxiety as many times as necessary until the
patient is comfortable with it.
Throughout the program, a specially trained therapist
teaches each patient relaxation techniques to deal with the
symptoms provoked by exposure to the virtual environment.
During each exposure, the therapist helps the patient practice
replacing the fear response with new behaviors. Over time,
patients’ anxiety levels decrease as they are repeatedly
exposed to the once-feared experience.
Advantages of VR Therapy
There are distinct advantages to using a
therapist-controlled, simulated environment for the treatment
of phobias and other anxiety disorders. These include:
- Greater safety and unlimited repetitions
– The simulated (virtual) environment can be controlled
easily to ensure that patients receive the appropriate
experience in a safe manner, and the entire course of
treatment can be completed within the security of the
therapist’s office.
-
Patients don’t waste time going into the real world in
search of the experiences that cause them anxiety. By
controlling all aspects of the simulated environment, the
therapist can repeatedly expose patients to each phase of a
fear-provoking event until it is mastered, which can
greatly shorten the time required to overcome the phobia in
comparison with traditional therapies.
- Easily scheduled, confidential sessions
– Because patients receive treatments in the therapist’s
office, each session fits within the standard 45- to
50-minute therapy hour, multiple sessions can be scheduled
within the same week to accommodate our patients’ schedules,
and patients don’t run the risk of running into friends or
becoming panicked in a public place. Privacy is further
protected with free, convenient, privately accessed
parking.
-
Insurance reimbursement of fees – Unlike
many traditional treatment programs that require real-
world experiences, VR sessions can be completed in less
than an hour, with a full successful course of treatment
often completed within six to eight sessions. For these
reasons, VR sessions are often covered by medical insurance
plans.
Please note that except for participants in Duke
employee-health plans, the Duke Virtual Reality Therapy
Program is a fee-for-service clinic.
To learn more about Duke Mental Health’s Virtual Reality
Program, or to schedule an appointment or get a referral,
contact Justin DeSua at 919-416-2440 or desua001@mc.duke.edu, or call
or 888-ASK-DUKE (888-275-3853) toll-free.
Locations
This service is available at:
