Fear of Heights
It
used to be that the fear of height required the therapist and the patient
to travel to the nearest tall structure, spend time there together. With
therapy using Virtual Reality Exposure help is found in the therapist's
office, eliminating the need for travel to a high elevation.
Wearing
a headset, you are allowed to enter a computer generated "open
view" elevator or high bridge simulated environment. These simulated or "virtual" places allows you
to experience the range of fears and anxieties of being in a real
situation. If fear of heights is the basic fear in the fear of flying, then
the virtual airplane, flying high over a city, can be used. Taking plenty
of time and practicing techniques you have learned for anxiety management,
you are led slowly and comfortably toward that which you have feared and
avoided. The goal is to master the fear while being virtually in the
situation.
At
every step of the virtual height experience, the therapist can see and hear
what you are experiencing. The therapist has control over the exposure and
the length of the therapy session.
