The findings of a University of Otago, Christchurch experiment provide a sense of hope to approximately one-in-twelve individuals internationally who are terrified of flying, big heights, needles, and hounds.
The experiment, directed by the Department of Psychological Medicine’s Associate Professor Cameron Lacey, looked at fear-afflicted patients utilising a headset and a mobile application recovery programme. It is a mix of 360-degree video exposure VR therapy and CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy.
The participants were required to get the oVRcome application on their smart devices. It is a completely self-guided smartphone software created by Adam Hutchinson, an IT entrepreneur from Christchurch. It is a helpful tool for those individuals suffering from different types of fears and anxiety.
The programme was used in conjunction with a headset to engage participants in simulated surroundings in order to alleviate their fears. The trial’s findings, which were published recently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, revealed a 75% reduction in phobia symptoms after six weeks of therapy.
Respondents overwhelmingly approved of the application, showing its potential for administering easily accessible and affordable treatment at scale. The technology can be quite useful for those who fail to go to in-person exposure therapy sessions meant to cure their fears.
From May to December 2021, 129 individuals participated in a six-week randomised controlled study, that was followed by a 12-week period of follow-up. The people who participated were adults in the age range of 18 to 64. These were individuals who had fears related to heights, flying, needles, dogs or spiders. Weekly surveys were provided to them to track their development. Those who are suffering negative occurrences can consult a professional psychologist at their convenience.
Over the course of the experiment, participants with all 5 categories of fears exhibited equivalent gains on the Severity Measures for Specific Phobia measure. After six weeks, the average severity score dropped from 28/40 signifying mild to severe signs to 7/40 signifying minimum scores. There were almost no dropouts owing to potential complications related to the treatment.
Lacey, Associate Professor, said that the oVRcome app employs exposure therapy; a type of CBT that includes individuals being exposed to particular phobias in brief episodes. They would do this in order to build resistance to phobias in a closely regulated and clinical environment.
After the trial period, some respondents described substantial progress in conquering their anxieties. One of them also become assured enough to start preparing for a family vacation overseas. Another participant became brave enough to queue up for a Covid vaccine, whilst one reported that they could be fully comfortable despite knowing about the presence of a spider at home.
The programme included typical CBT elements such as cognitive methods, psychoeducation, VR exposure, relaxation, relapse prevention strategy and mindfulness. Respondents were free to choose their individual degrees of exposure to fears from a huge collection of virtual reality footage.
According to Lacey, the dropout rates of VR-based treatment are considerably lower than in-person therapy.
