Supporting Phobia Treatment with Virtual Reality: Systematic Desensitization Using Oculus Rift

An irrational fear is called a phobia. Cognitive therapy teaches patients how to respond to triggering stimuli, by relaxing their mind and entering a state of reduced anxiety. Some of these methods depend on patient’s imagination, since putting them in the situation or the object that triggers the anxiety (airplanes, spiders, public speaking, and dinosaurs) might be difficult. Our project proposes an interactive virtual reality system that enhances both the visual and hearing parts of the therapy, putting the patient in a virtual world where they can learn the proper techniques to learn how to respond to the anxiety triggers. We call our system VRPhobia. A prototype was created and it was evaluated with the aid of Cognitive Psychology therapists. The system takes into account the techniques used by the therapists and the training that the patient goes through. It works as a tool that enhances the therapy process.