Exposure Therapy for Phobias

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Specific Phobias

There is a growing body of research indicating the multiple ways that affective dysregulation (e.g., anxiety disorders, specific phobias, panic disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) may lead to significant impairments in normal life functioning. Anxiety and fear are concentrated emotional experiences that serve critical functions in organizing necessary survival responses (Fendt &...

Prolonged exposure: a rapid treatment for phobias.

Ten adult patients with long-standing specific phobias were treated by prolonged continuous exposure to their phobic objects in fantasy and reality without avoidance. All patients were greatly helped by four to five hours' treatment in two or three sessions, and all improved more after practice than after imaginal sessions. The treatment method is more economical and efficient than other method...

Affective outcomes of virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and specific phobias: a meta-analysis.

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an increasingly common treatment for anxiety and specific phobias. Lacking is a quantitative meta-analysis that enhances understanding of the variability and clinical significance of anxiety reduction outcomes after VRET. Searches of electronic databases yielded 52 studies, and of these, 21 studies (300 subjects) met inclusion criteria. Although meta-a...

Behavior therapy of phobias: predictors of outcome.

Phobias