Scared Of Spiders? Virtual Reality Can Cure You In 3 Hours

Do you always panic when you see a spider crawling towards you even though you might be aware that most spiders are harmless. Well, if you do and can't even manage to look at a spider's photo without breaking out in cold sweat then you suffer from arachnophobia.

Cool Alert

I have deliberately avoided putting a spider's image in this post so that those who may be having this phobia can read it without any issue. So if you did expect a spider image when you clicked through, just chill without fear!

More About Arachnobphobia

Although extensive research has been carried out it is still not known whether the fear is ingrained from birth or is acquired through someone else's experience. In almost all cases of arachnophobia it is also observed that the person also feels disgusted when a spider comes into sight, besides feeling really scared.

Many arachnophobes do not even enter a room if they see a spider in it. Some are sure that they attract spiders because when they look around them when they enter a room they seem to find one nearby.

The good news is that even in the rare case of a spider being venomous it can be treated to remove any harm that the poison might live after the bite. Furthermore, you don't have to live with the fear of spiders forever. There's been a fair bit of research being conducted for finding a good way to put virtual reality to use for people with phobias. There have been positive results of tests conducted to cure the fear of spiders as a result of the work done by the research experts at Stockholm University.

Itsy VR App

One such example of such efforts bearing fruit is the creation of an app called Itsy VR produced as a result of a collaboration between Samsung and a startup called Mimerse.

Itsy VR is an app that comes to the rescue of people with an irrational fear of spiders. It revolves around a game where the player is in a role play with spiders and completes certain tasks. The spider at the beginner stages is made to look really cute so that anyone with a fear of spiders can also play the game easily. At the end of each task the player is rewarded points. Also thrown in is a virtual therapist who will impart coaching so that the players can reach their goals easily.

The trick with the app is that although you see a cute spider in the beginning, it changes and becomes more aggressive as you move up the stages. The entire role play is supposed to be a part of a three hour session which is claimed to cure arachnophobes of their fear. In fact, the company claims that the fear will be long lasting and will make the person approach spiders in a relaxed manner after the session. The results in the trials carried out seem to back up the claim.

Conclusion

Itsy VR is a real life saver for those suffering from arachnophobia. Phobias can prove to be a show stopper at some really crucial moments, when a spider suddenly turns up near you.

The fear of spiders is the first of the phobias to be dealt with using VR. As the results look good the research will carry on to explore therapeutic uses of VR for other phobias as well. Hopefully virtual reality will be used more and more to help people get rid of their intrinsic fears.