An estimated 10% of the general population experiences fear of flying (FOF) and 25% of the population that flies experiences distress during the flight. The most effective psychological technique for the treatment of phobias is in vivo exposure. Using planes in real flights, however, takes a large amount of time and money that is not easily accessible. Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment (VRET) of FOF is now well established but generalization of such treatment in clinical settings is still rare.
Researchers from INSERM Centre of Psychiatry and Neurosciences presented a case report of a 31-year-old woman who was chosen for treatment because of her FOF. She attended a demonstration of the new VR equipment and disclosed her FOF. Researcher’s proposed a VRET as she had to fly in a few months and anticipated high anxiety during the scheduled flight.
The woman received six sessions of VRET, delivered with standard BIOPAC VR setup, using the included Virtual Environment (VE) of an aircraft with minor adaptations. The woman was seated in an aircraft chair that vibrated during takeoff and turbulences. Researchers used a standard BIOPAC VR Ultimate system, a high-resolution stereoscopic head-mounted display providing a monocular field of view of 60°, a tracking device in order to adapt the field of view to head movements, connected to a MP150 physiological responses amplifier. Skin Conductance Level and Heart Rate were recorded with BIOPAC’s BioNomadix wireless transmitter-receiver modules connected to electrodes.
Results showed evidence of a progressive reduction of the subject’s anxiety in the reactivity to takeoffs and turbulences. A Flight Anxiety Situations questionnaire showed a reduction of anticipation anxiety. The woman succeeded in flying alone three months after completion of VRET. Physiological monitoring may provide indexes predictive of outcome; further research is required. Full immersion rather than the graphical quality of VE is the main driver of the sense of reality experiences by the subject.
