Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Specific Phobias (2 CE)

Course overview

Exposure therapy is considered the benchmark and gold standard phobia treatment. Emerging evidence has shown virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy might be an efficacious alternative to in vivo or real life exposure therapy. The goal of the present review was to compare VR and in vivo studies with equivalent treatment exposure between groups. Results indicated that in vivo exposure therapy was beneficial for Social Phobia but was not superior to VR therapy for Specific Phobia or Agoraphobia. As technology continues to improve, VR exposure therapy should be disseminated especially in cases where structural barriers to in vivo therapy exist.