Virtual Reality vs. Phobia

What are your biggest irrational fears or phobias? Heights? Germs? Spiders? Needles? Now, what’s the best way to fight a phobia? Facing it.

Until recently, therapists asked their patients to close their eyes and picture a scenario where they were faced with their biggest fears. Thankfully, virtual reality (VR) arrived to help those who are short on imagination and to deliver better and faster results.

With the development of VR technology, patients are now able to experience the most fear-inducing digital scenarios while being followed by their therapist. One of the world pioneers working on this field is Psious, a Spanish startup that provides an online VR platform tailor-made for mental health.

They’re acting in a promising market. The need to reduce healthcare costs and the ever-growing penetration of digital devices in the sector are two of the major drivers for VR in the healthcare market. These types of solutions are expected to expand considerably in the upcoming years. On the not so bright side, the lack of competence in the deployment of VR solutions and absence of expertise among medical practitioners to adopt new technologies are challenges Psious and its competitors will need to surpass in order to see a large adoption of their solutions.

The team has developed more than 70 environments to treat multiple conditions, such as agoraphobia, acrophobia, aerophobia, and anxiety. With this startup’s solution, more than 15,000 people from 50 countries have been treated.

Watch the video made by Vodafone Future where the host faces her biggest fear: heights.