University of Basel have come up with a modern way to help combat your fear of arachnophobia through an augmented reality app for smartphones. In clinical trials, subjects experienced a reduced fear of real spiders after completing just a few training units with the app from the comfort of their own home. Called Phobys, this app is based on exposure therapy and uses a realistic 3D spider model that is projected into the real world.
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In the span of 2-weeks, a total of 66 participants in the trial either completed six half-hour training units with Phobys or, in the case of the control group, were offered no intervention. Before and after treatment, they approached a real spider in a transparent box as closely as their fear of spiders allowed. The group who used the Phobys app showed significantly less fear in the real-life situation and was able to get closer to the spider compared to the control group. More information here.
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The current study is one of several projects in progress at the Transfaculty Research Platform for Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, led by Professor Andreas Papassotiropoulos and Professor Dominique de Quervain, with the aim of improving the treatment of mental disorders through the use of new technologies and making these treatments widely available,” said the research paper.
