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Blog - Phobias

How to Overcome Fear of Driving: Amaxophobia Therapy with Psytech VR

By Inna Maltzeva, Chief Scientific Officer at PsyTech VR
February 04, 2023

What is amaxophobia (fear of driving)?

What is amaxophobia (fear of driving)?

Amaxophobia is the fear of being in a vehicle, often called the “fear of driving”. It is a rather significant condition that can be debilitating to regular people, causing significant stress and anxiety. The fear itself is triggered by a variety of factors (traffic, perceived loss of control, accidents on the road, etc.) and can even drive some people to avoid using vehicles in any capacity whatsoever.
The exact symptoms of amaxophobia vary from one person to another, with the potential of including one or several of the following factors:
  • Psychological symptoms such as fear, panic, anxiety when riding or driving a vehicle.
  • Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, nausea, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
It can also trigger unconscious avoidance behaviors and tends to spawn intrusive thoughts about losing control while driving or traffic accidents, sometimes resulting in forming of negative beliefs about a person’s driving capabilities. A lot of these symptoms can be quite severe, affecting the day-to-day life of an individual, making it necessary to seek help from a professional in the field of mental health.

How do CBT psychologists help overcome phobias?

How do CBT psychologists help overcome phobias?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a commonly used approach to help individuals overcome amaxophobia or the fear of driving. Here's how CBT psychologists can help:

  • Identifying and challenging negative thoughts: CBT psychologists help individuals identify and challenge the negative thoughts and beliefs contributing to their fear of driving. This includes evaluating evidence for and against these thoughts and learning to reframe them positively.
  • Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) and Imaginal Exposure Therapy (IET) are both exposure therapy used to treat anxiety disorders, including amaxophobia.
  • Gradual exposure therapy: CBT psychologists may use exposure therapy, in which individuals are gradually and systematically exposed to the source of their fear. For individuals with amaxophobia, this may involve starting with small driving tasks, such as sitting in the driver's seat and eventually building up to driving on a quiet road, then a busy road, etc.
  • Relaxation techniques: CBT psychologists can teach individuals relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation, to help them manage anxiety and stress while driving.
  • Building self-efficacy: CBT psychologists work with individuals to build their confidence in driving and handling driving-related situations. This may include practicing driving skills, setting small, achievable goals, and using positive self-talk.
Did you know?
If you open the Google Scholar platform and search for "VR Therapy," you would be surprised that this topic has 2,320,000 citations and 440,000 articles.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) specialists can use VRET as a tool to help individuals overcome anxieties, including fear of driving. Here's how they use this method:
  • Assessment: CBT specialists assess the individual's fear of driving and design a treatment plan that includes VRET as part of the exposure therapy.
  • Virtual environment: CBT specialists use virtual reality technology to create a simulated driving environment tailored to individual fears and phobias. This can include a range of realistic driving scenarios, such as driving in traffic, on highways, and in challenging weather conditions.
  • Gradual exposure: CBT specialists gradually expose individuals to the virtual driving environment, starting with less intense scenarios and gradually increasing the difficulty. The goal is to help individuals confront their fear in a controlled and safe environment, building their confidence and reducing anxiety.
  • Coping skills training: CBT specialists can also use VRET to teach individuals coping skills, such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation, which they can use to manage their anxiety while driving.
  • Monitoring progress: CBT specialists monitor the individual's progress and adjust the therapy as needed, ensuring that the virtual driving environment remains challenging but not overwhelming.

Overall, VRET can be a powerful tool for CBT specialists to help individuals overcome their fear of driving and improve their quality of life. It provides a highly immersive and effective exposure therapy experience, allowing individuals to confront their fear in a safe and controlled environment.

Why is VR Exposure Therapy more efficient than Imaginal Exposure?

Why is VR Exposure Therapy more efficient than Imaginal Exposure?

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) and Imaginal Exposure Therapy (IET) are both forms of exposure therapy used to treat anxiety disorders, including amaxophobia, or the fear of driving. While both methods can be effective, some research suggests that VRET may be more efficient than IET in certain cases. Here's why:
  1. Greater sense of presence: VRET provides individuals with a highly immersive experience, creating a greater sense of presence in the virtual environment. This can result in a more robust emotional response, making the therapy more effective in reducing fear and anxiety.
  2. Real-life simulations: VRET allows the creation of realistic virtual simulations of real-life driving scenarios customized to the individual's specific fears and phobias. This can lead to a more targeted and effective exposure therapy experience.
  3. Overcoming avoidance behaviors: VRET allows individuals to confront their fear in a controlled and safe environment, which can help to overcome avoidance behaviors and build confidence.
  4. Reduced stigma: Some individuals may feel embarrassed or ashamed of their fear of driving, leading them to avoid seeking help. VRET offers a private and anonymous therapy experience, reducing the stigma associated with seeking treatment.
However, it is important to note that the efficacy of VRET versus IET may vary depending on the individual and the specific phobia being treated. Both methods have been shown to be effective in reducing fear and anxiety, and the choice of therapy should be based on the individual's needs, preferences, and the availability of resources.

PsyTech VR exposure therapy

PsyTech VR exposure therapy

At PsyTech VR, we provide virtual reality solutions for individuals. mental health professionals, educational institutions, and HRs. Our focus is developing and delivering virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) software for treating anxiety disorders and phobias, including amaxophobia or the fear of driving.
Our system is not just a scary game with playable environments to overcome phobias but a complete system with an academic approach to overcoming anxieties and other mental disorders.
The system consists of two main technologies: A learning management platform and a VR application for the Meta Quest, Pico 3 and 4, and HTC focus 3 headsets.

  • The learning management platform provides courses and learning paths prepared by cognitive-behavioral therapy specialists and daily feedback through check-up surveys.
  • The VR application serves as a micro-training system for emotions, cognitions, soft skills, and wellness/relaxation practices, with over 80 DLC levels for the treatment of anxieties, phobias, mindfulness meditations, art therapy, and more.

We provide our users with regular updates and support through their subscriptions, ensuring that all courses and VR content are kept up-to-date. Users receive updates twice per month and can benefit from the latest developments in the field of mental health treatment.

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PsyTech VR uses exposure therapy that can help individuals overcome their amaxophobia, gradually exposing them to virtual driving scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. It can be highways, busy streets, traffic jams, and other situations that are supposed to help people build up their resilience to such situations and overcome their fears.

The gradual exposure is the main goal of such therapy, while also making it possible to practice driving skills without any of the risks that real-world driving would bring. The ability to custom-tailor the therapy to each user’s needs and anxieties makes it possible to offer a personalized treatment approach that is generally much more effective.

Is VR affordable for the end users?

Is VR affordable for the end users?

Virtual reality headsets are now at their most affordable ever, and there are several reasons for such a change:
  • Advancements in both software and hardware that led to more cost-effective production, reducing the total cost of VR headsets for end users.
  • Substantial number of VR companies entering the market, leading to more competition and the reduction in consumer pricing.
  • Recent releases of more affordable headsets (Pico 4, Meta Quest 3) made VR even more accessible to consumers, removing the necessity of a high-end gaming PC for VR to work in the first place. The baseline for VR technology now is as low as just a few hundred dollars.
  • The rise of subscription-based models in gaming platforms and VR arcades made the technology more accessible, as well, removing the necessity to purchase the VR headset at all. PsyTech VR also provides a subscription-based approach – cheaper than a single visit to a mental health specialist, available for everyday use with no limitations.
Generally speaking, all of these factors that contributed to the increase in accessibility for VR headsets, offering the benefits of the technology to a much wider audience than ever before.

What virtual headsets are needed for PsyTech VR exposure therapy?

What virtual headsets are needed for PsyTech VR exposure therapy?

  • Meta Quest 3 is a headset that works in both Virtual and Augmented reality, developed by Meta. It offers a wide FOV and a transparent display with the ability to see the real world and the digital content at the same time.
  • Pico 4 is a standalone VR headset for consumers, acting as an all-in-one option with no need for an additional power source in the form of a gaming console or a separate computer.
  • HTC Focus 3 is a VR headset from the technology company HTC, offering a standalone VR experience with six degrees of freedom, inside-out tracking, and an abundance of other features.
There are several reasons why these headsets are considered the most suitable for PsyTech VR and other technologies right now. Not only are they relatively inexpensive compared with several thousand dollars that each user had to bring just a few years ago, but there are also factors such as portability, comfort, higher-quality visuals, and easy configuration, all of which made modern-day headsets much more suitable for individuals and organizations looking for accessible and immersive VR technology (even outside of the therapeutic purposes).
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Thanks for reading!
Inna Maltzeva
Chief Scientific Officer at PsyTechVR
Inna has a degree in psychology and linguistics, with her education being completed at the Moscow Psychological and Social Institute and the Moscow State Linguistic University. Her expertise was further advanced using specialized training in CBT, EMDR, and psychoanalysis, with credentials from various esteemed institutions: the European EMDR Association and the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Association of Saint Petersburg. The extensive professional experience has shaped her work in a significant manner, including both working as a clinical psychologist at MEDSI Clinical and Diagnostic Center in 2010s and also maintaining a thriving private practice afterward (with in-person and online therapy sessions).

Inna is the Chief Science Officer at PsyTechVR, standing at the forefront of integration between psychotherapeutic sessions and virtual reality environments. She has been invaluable in developing various VR-based technologies to improve the efficiency of emotional and cognitive training, considering the limitations of traditional exposure therapy. Her own research focuses on the utilization of immersive environments that can treat phobias, anxiety disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She also works in tandem with a team of experts in their own fields, designing VR scenarios that can facilitate adaptive coping strategies in order to help each client manage their fears in a supportive and fully controlled environment.

Her own work in PsyTechVR extends far beyond traditional research since she also contributes to the creation of evidence-based therapeutic programs that are tailored to assist with different psychological conditions. She managed to play a substantial role in shaping VR applications in relaxation practices and anxiety disorder therapy, combining cutting-edge technology with various psychological principles.
Inna Maltseva is a psychologist and psychotherapist with over 18 years of experience in the fields of EMDR and CBT (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, respectively)
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