Virtual Therapy

Fourteen-year-old Kathleen is learning to conquer her fear of flying. It surfaced after she had a bad experience.

“There was sweating, heart racing, it was a complete sense of panic,” she recalls.

Her mother, Kimberly Berman, remembers it, too. “The doors were closing and the plane was about to pull away from the gate; Kathleen ran off the plane.”

Now Kathleen is in therapy. But it is far from traditional therapy. With the aid of a simulator and coaching from a therapist, she practices flying in a virtual airplane.

“And what it actually does is it reminds them of how they feel in that situation so it can evoke the same kind of anxiety that they feel in the real situation,” explains Dr. Elana Zimand, Kathleen’s psychologist. “It doesn’t work for everybody because it takes a bit of a suspension in disbelief. But when it works, it can be really powerful.”

Anxiety disorders affect about 25 million people. The typical treatment is medication, along with psychological therapy.

“Virtual realitytherapy” isn’t mainstream yet, but Kathleen says it’s helped her.

“I still feel so anxious,” she says, “but I’ve learned to manage that. And so I stay calm. And I know that I can do it.”

She manages her fear first by talking about it, and then by controlling her breathing.

After several sessions, Kathleen decided to try boarding a real plane.

“And that day she was very nervous,” says her mother, “but somehow she gained confidence over her fears and over the physical manifestation that came with those fears. And she boarded the flight, and we were off!”

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

If your child is terrified of certain places, things or situations, rest assured that he or she is not alone. Consider the following:

• Approximately 5.3 million Americans suffer from a social phobia, described as an overwhelming anxiety and self-consciousness in social settings.
• More than 10 percent of Americans have one or more specific phobias; an additional 2 percent suffer from panic disorders each year.
• According to a recent telephone study of 1,000 adults, 7 percent of Americans say they suffer from a phobia, and nearly 40 percent confess to an extreme fear of an object or situation. The most common fears are snakes and the fear of being buried alive.
• Twenty percent of Americans say they have some degree of fear of being either in crowded spaces, or wide-open places.
• Nearly 30 percent of Americans say they’ve suffered a panic attack.
• Twenty-five percent say they’ve experienced intense fear and trembling in social situations. Many more say they’ve felt nervousness, blushing, a racing heart or dry mouth and throat – reactions that are considered symptoms of social phobia.
• Women ranked snakes as their top fear. Men were most afraid of being buried alive. Both genders also ranked high the fear of heights, fear of drowning and fear of public speaking.

By Larry Eldridge, Jr.
CWK Network, Inc.

Some people are using virtual reality to help overcome phobias, but there are many more traditional options. If you are trying to help your child overcome his/her fears, consider sharing the following process, developed by Annette Nay, MS.

• Write down the environment, event, object or situation that is frightening you at this time.
• Write down the most frightening outcome you can imagine in this situation.
• Write down the least frightening outcome you can imagine in this same situation.
• Write down your biggest fear. Picture that fear on a spectrum. Pick the least frightening example of your fear, and pick the most frightening example of your fear. Then pick a few situations in between.

Example: Fear of high places
Least: Standing on a short step-stool in my kitchen.
Worst: Looking over the edge of a tall building.
Steps in between:

1. Standing on a high ladder.
2. Riding in a glass elevator.
3. Looking out the window of an airplane.
4. Rate the in-between steps in their “order of frightfulness” to you.

Example: Fear of high places
Least: Standing on a short step-stool in my kitchen
Worst: Looking over the edge of a tall building
Rating the steps in between:

1. Riding in a glass elevator.
2. Looking out the window of an airplane.
3. Standing on a high ladder.

Write down, in baby-step progression, what would help you overcome each situation from the least frightening step to the most frightening. Write your thoughts as goal statements.

Example: Overcoming fear of high places
Least frightening step: Stand on a short step-stool in my kitchen.

• I will work start with a six-inch-high step or a large tree stump and work my up to the foot-high step-stool.
• I will stand on the step or stump three times a day for one minute, then two minutes, and continue until I can be stand on it for 15 minutes without being afraid.
• During this time I will look around me, up and down to see things both interesting and beautiful.
• I will practice the relaxation technique of deep breathing.
• I will practice and muscle relaxation. I will not allow my muscles to tighten up. I will monitor this the whole time I am on the step.

Next step: Stand on a high ladder.

• I will first stand on the bottom rung of the ladder.
• I will work my way up from the bottom rung of an eight-foot ladder to the last rung that I can safely stand on. I will progress up the ladder as I feel comfortable.
• I will stand on the rung three times a day for one minute, then two minutes, and so on until I can stand on the rung for 15 minutes without being afraid.
• During this time I will look around me, up and down, to see things both interesting and beautiful.
• I will practice the relaxation technique of deep breathing.
• I will practice muscle relaxation; I will not allow my muscles to tighten up. I will monitor this the whole time I am on the ladder.
• Outline each goal in small, doable steps. Write the outline just before you take the next step.
• Do not progress to the next step until there is very little fear left with the current step.
• Now put the plan into action. Note: It may be impossible to accomplish some steps — such as flying — without highly developing relaxation techniques.

National Institute of Mental Health
American Psychiatric Association
The Anxiety-Panic Internet Resource