Specific phobias are among the most treatable conditions in behavioral health, with over 90% of people seeing significant improvement when they complete an exposure-based protocol. VR-enhanced exposure therapy builds on this success by offering even more flexibility and access without sacrificing results.
Treatment begins with a comprehensive assessment of your specific fear patterns. Next, we’ll create an exposure hierarchy together—a personalized roadmap that starts with the most manageable scenarios and progresses to more difficult ones. You'll also learn proven techniques to help you manage anxiety during exposures. The goal isn't to eliminate anxiety but change how you respond to it so it no longer controls your choices.
Treatment centers on immersive VR sessions where you'll confront lifelike simulations of your feared situations with increasing intensity. For example, if you’re afraid of flying, you might progress from sitting in a virtual airplane at the gate to experiencing turbulence during flight. People with a fear of heights might advance from standing on a low virtual balcony to gradually higher elevations. Your therapist will be there every step of the way, offering real-time support and helping you process your emotional and physical reactions without falling back on avoidance..
Our virtual delivery model offers unique advantages for exposure work. The VR headset we provide gives you immediate access to a wide variety of realistic scenarios that would be difficult or even impossible to practice in person. And because the brain responds to virtual stimuli in ways similar to real-life experiences, this method creates lasting neurological changes while allowing you to do the work from the safety and comfort of your own space.
Therapy Lab clinicians hold advanced degrees in clinical psychology, or similar science-based clinical practices, and receive specialized training in both exposure therapy protocols and VR-enhanced intervention techniques. To learn more, please see the resources listed below.
