Blog - VRET
How to Overcome Fear of FLying & Airports: Aerophobia Therapy with Psytech VR
By Daniel Andreev, Chief Product Officer at PsyTech VR
June 15, 2022
PsyTechVR
Phobia of airplanes
Phobia of airplanes
Let's discuss aerophobia which is the fear of flying. It’s widespread and affects more than 25 million adults in the U.S.! Almost 1 in 10 Americans experience this fear and discard flying almost anywhere!
Like that famous song used to say:
“Country roads, here we go…”
And that’s where the journey of aerophobes starts when they decide to travel by car!
This fear can arise after a traumatic experience, or modelling someone else's experience or symbolic representation. People begin to avoid flying, limit themselves to road travel, etc.
Like that famous song used to say:
“Country roads, here we go…”
And that’s where the journey of aerophobes starts when they decide to travel by car!
This fear can arise after a traumatic experience, or modelling someone else's experience or symbolic representation. People begin to avoid flying, limit themselves to road travel, etc.
Plane crashes are rare, but every incident attracts tons of attention as we can horrible pictures and videos including the wreckage from the crash site.
2021 - the first year after 2020 which seriously hearted airline business due to Covid-19 - was reported with 15 fatal air accidents that caused approximately 130 deaths according to the Flight Global research. Let’s compare this figure to the overall amount of passengers that used to fly in 2021, and it’s 2,28 bln people. The fatal situation happened only in 0,000000057017544% of cases. Don’t you find how tiny is this figure according to everyday car crashes, or other types of vehicles? But here we are not only to give facts but to discuss and find out the best ways of helping aviophobia patients.
Ways to treat fear
Ways to treat fear
1. Academic
When experts explain the theory of aviation and aircraft construction. But this method does not always help to relax because natural disasters are often to blame for aviation accidents.
- We all do understand that trying to get academic knowledge of aeronautical engineering is not the right way for people that work hard every day and use to choose between Netflix / interesting book and going to sleep 30 minutes earlier. Hand's full.
2. Cabin imitation
An imitation of an airplane cabin - a simulator, where a person gets used to and gets rid of a phobia by confronting his fear
An imitation of an airplane cabin - a simulator, where a person gets used to and gets rid of a phobia by confronting his fear
- Simulators of airplanes are the real training models that are mainly used for training pilots, and won’t come cheap (e.g. training in Boeing 737 Max simulator costs ~$450 per hour)
3. Mental Imagery
Classic Mental Exposure Therapy
Classic Mental Exposure Therapy
- While practising Mental Imagery people face hard challenges - the imagination of fears has a lack of immersion and the doctor won’t have control of your mind, which leads to misunderstandings of scenarios which patients are thought by doctors. Let’s be honest, sitting and trying to imagine that you are in the cabin of the aircraft won’t help you to feel in the air
4. The real-life experience of flying on airplane
- Real-life therapy… Uh-Oh, let’s grab some BARF BAGS … please, fasten your seat belts! ;)
5. Virtual reality exposure therapy
People need an effective and safe tool, which will be easy to use!
PsyTech VR provides a structured VR exposure environment for aerophobia, developed in collaboration with psychologists and phobia specialists.
People need an effective and safe tool, which will be easy to use!
PsyTech VR provides a structured VR exposure environment for aerophobia, developed in collaboration with psychologists and phobia specialists.
Complete VR Therapy Package for $1599 *
Buying options
PsyTechVR Bundle
Your VR headset
Book a DEMO to get a 15-day FREE TRIAL, then use your own VR device or order a Meta Quest separately
15-day Free Trial, then $120/month
Includes the latest Meta Quest 3s, 12-month access, regular updates, support, training, and marketing materials
* Limited time offer until product is in stock
VR Exposure Therapy Bundle
Special offer: 35% off Storewide
$
1,599
$
2,499
- Latest Meta Quest 3s (128GB) VR Headset with the installed VR app
- 12-Month Access to PsyTechVR Platforms
- Generative-AI to create exposure scenarios
- Dedicated Support Manager
- Comprehensive 4-Hour Training & Certificate
- Exclusive Marketing Materials for your website and social media
*VR headset will belong to you with full access to the VR app store
Thanks for reading!
Daniil Andreev
Chief Product Officer and Co-founder
He has a specialization in working with Unreal Engine development and XR, collaborating closely with multiple mental health professionals, such as Dr. Udi Oren, current president of the EMDR Association of Israel; Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo, a research professor at the University of Southern California's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Davis School of Gerontology; as well as Dr. Gwilym Roddick, who is a director and founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of Central & South Florida. The development of VR exposure therapy environments have advanced significantly as a result of this collaboration.
Daniil has led powerful teams toward creating groundbreaking solutions capable of combining deep user empathy with technical expertise in the field. One of the most noteworthy achievements is the leading position in the development of MindGap AI – an artificial intelligence platform that assists with creating custom virtual environments and scenarios for exposure therapy. His leadership has been a significant part of why PsyTechVR can deliver such impactful and user-oriented solutions that improve mental health treatment efforts while also assisting business growth.
Daniil has led powerful teams toward creating groundbreaking solutions capable of combining deep user empathy with technical expertise in the field. One of the most noteworthy achievements is the leading position in the development of MindGap AI – an artificial intelligence platform that assists with creating custom virtual environments and scenarios for exposure therapy. His leadership has been a significant part of why PsyTechVR can deliver such impactful and user-oriented solutions that improve mental health treatment efforts while also assisting business growth.
Daniil Andreev is an efficient product manager with more than 6 years of experience in the VR industry, with a strong emphasis on developing and scaling products of mental health and education fields.
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