How can we overcome our fear of spiders?

Virtual Reality Therapy is a revolutionary treatment used for different phobias, like arachnophobia or fear of spiders.

All about arachnophobia– what is it, what are the causes and how we can treat it.

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Arachnophobia has an efficient remedy- virtual reality therapy

You can overcome your arachnophobia through virtual reality therapy, where you can meet the phobic stimulus(spiders) in a virtual environment that simulates the real situation that generates anxiety.

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy uses 3D projection glasses (head-mounted display), equipped with body motion monitoring sensors, which are connected to the doctor’s computer. Thus, it allows the doctor/psychotherapist to offer careful guidance, while maintaining full control over everything that occurs, adjusting the intensity of the therapy according to the individual needs of the patient.

During the process of exposure to virtual reality, you will first see the spiders at a quite long distance from you, the distance that will decrease step by step during the sessions, as the state of anxiety will also improve (with at least 50% from one exposure to another).

As you are visually exposed to the causative stimulus, respectively, the spiders, initially your anxiety state, will increase. Still, you will be taught how to manage yourself both cognitively, through specific anxiety management techniques and physically, through relaxation techniques.

A minimum number of 6-8 sessions (depending on the severity of the phobia) is required as follows:

in the first session, arachnophobia will be assessed
In the second session, you will learn anxiety management techniques
In the next 4-6 sessions, depending on the severity of the phobia, you will be exposed in the virtual environment to the stimulus (respectively to the spiders), a stimulus that initially is inert, after which it will be able to move towards you. You will be desensitized to the phobic stimulus.

This whole process happens in the presence of the doctor who will coordinate your step by step throughout the entire therapeutic process.

Research shows that this can be just as effective as the older technique of gradually exposing the person to real spiders.

There are other ways to treat this condition. More details here.