The idea is that a virtual world could be created that gradually confronts a phobic individual with their particular set of fears. The individual would hopefully learn to maintain control of the situation whilst the severity of the phobic stimulus was adjusted under the supervision of a psychotherapist. None of these VR systems would appear to be in use at this time, no doubt due to the stringent evaluation procedures that such a system would have to undergo. One particular focus will be on the possible uses of shared media spaces by graphic designers with this phobic condition. It is a surprisingly common phobic syndrome characterised by fearful sensations and subsequent panic attacks - often triggering each other in varying degrees of severity.
Agoraphobia is often misunderstood by laypeople as merely being a fear of open spaces.
A more accurate definition would be a fear of being in places or situations from which it is perceived that a quick exit might be physically difficult or socially embarrassing. Sufferers experience a sense that they lack control over self, resulting in a loss of self-confidence. Physical complaints induced by the anxiety of a panic attack are often noted. The intense anxiety connected with the disabling mental condition of acute agoraphobia often imposes travel restrictions upon the afflicted, thus hindering their professional lives. Some agoraphobic individuals need a companion for peace of mind when venturing away from home, while others are sentenced to virtual self-imprisonment within the confines of their own home.