The hope is that over time, the patient becomes desensitized to the feared environment. In clinical practice, though, using exposure therapy to treat fear of flying can be both costly and inconvenient. You would have to drive to the airport, find parking, and then the plane might not be there, and there is a lack of confidentiality. The use of virtual reality in therapy, Anderson tells WebMD, makes treatment accessible to more people in a confidential environment that the therapist can control. At Virtually Better, the patient can take off and land 15 times during a 45-minute session, while that is not possible at Hartsfield International Airport.
Anxiety disorders are quite common.
Experts say public speaking is the leading specific phobia, affecting 54 million people in the U.S., while fear of flying grounds 25 million people. During the first four of eight sessions at Virtually Better, the therapist works with the patient on anxiety management skills. In the final four sessions, the patient uses virtual reality through a head-mounted display, stereo sound and tactile stimulation. These visual and audio sensory cues simulate being in an airplane. During the virtual reality therapy, the patient is exposed to increasingly tense flying situations.