Fighting fears with Virtual Reality

Virtual reality programs and equipment are being used for much more than just gaming these days. It is often used for training exercises for new employees and is now being used for exposure therapy for those with a fear of heights. Psychiatrists at Oxford University did a study with 100 subjects who are afraid of heights. They split the subjects into two groups. Half of the subjects participated in virtual reality activities such as crossing tall bridges, rescuing cats from trees, and standing on the edge of a building. At the end of the study, Professor Daniel Freeman said that the treatment had proven to be more effective than traditional therapies used to treat phobias.

What other things could we use VR for?