An Eastern Michigan University doctoral student is using virtual reality to explore a new way to treat one of the world’s most common phobias: the fear of flying. The study combines immersive technology with exposure therapy in hopes of making treatment more realistic and effective.
Ashton Amin, a Ph.D. student in EMU’s clinical psychology program, said the project was inspired by the challenges of treating flight anxiety through traditional exposure therapy.
“Fear of flying is the most common phobia,” Amin said. “The problem with treating it … is that it’s expensive, and it can also be logistically complicated.”
Because successful exposure therapy often requires practice over a short period of time, airline travel makes treatment difficult for both patients and therapists.
To overcome those barriers, Amin partnered with researchers in EMU’s computer science department to develop a virtual airplane cabin. Participants wear a VR headset and experience every stage of flight, from boarding the aircraft to takeoff, to cruising and altitude and landing.
“They actually created this original environment, and it is a plane interior,” Amin said.
The research goes beyond visual simulation by recreating some physical sensations associated with flying. Participants in one condition spin in a chair and breathe through a straw before entering the virtual flight, creating feelings of dizziness and mild shortness of breath that can resemble symptoms of a panic attack.
“For about half of people, that’s really the only, or the main fear — they are really just afraid of that crash,” she said. “For the other half… they are also really afraid of having a panic attack in the air.”
The study seeks to determine whether combining physical sensations with virtual reality produces a more effective form of exposure therapy.
The study is recruiting adults who self-report a significant fear of flying. Eligible participants complete a phone screening, questionnaires, and an approximately one-hour laboratory visit, followed by a one-month survey. Participants receive $40 for participating in one session.
