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We examined the feasibility and acceptability of using an immersive virtual reality environment (VRE) alongside cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for young people with autism experiencing specific phobia. Thirty-two participants were randomised to treatment or control. Treatment involved one session introducing CBT techniques and four VRE sessions, delivered by local clinical therapists. Change in target behaviour was independently rated. Two weeks after treatment, four treatment participants (25%) and no control participants were responders; at 6 months after treatment, six (38%) treatment and no control participants were responders. At 6 months post-treatment, symptoms had worsened for one treatment and five control (untreated) participants. Brief VRE exposure with CBT is feasible and acceptable to deliver through child clinical services and is effective for some participants., Author(s): Morag Maskey [sup.1] , Jacqui Rodgers [sup.1] , Victoria Grahame [sup.2] [sup.6] , Magdalena Glod [sup.1] , Emma Honey [sup.2] , Julia Kinnear [sup.3] , Marie Labus [sup.4] , [...]

Abstract Many individuals who have road traffic accidents avoid traffic or stop driving altogether. Trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy, which includes revisiting the accident site and graded exposure to fearful stimuli, [...]

30 speech-anxious subjects imagined a phobic speech scene 10 times. The experimental conditions varied according to whether the subjects engaged in positive, neutral, or negative thinking prior to each scene presentation. Heart rate and self-reports of fear were measured during the imagery periods. Positive thinking just before visualization of the phobic images reduced both subjective anxiety about speech and cardiovascular responses.

Fear of going to the dentist is very common; 70 percent of Americans admit to some degree of fear, while 20 percent experience extreme fear of dental procedures. This anxiety causes many people to avoid the dentist altogether, while others make appointments and then cancel them. Unfortunately, a minor dental problem may become an emergency because of such procrastination. Fearful patients are not only very uncomfortable themselves, they generate much stress for the dentist and office staff because their behavior can be difficult to manage. A program designed to treat dental fear is described. Eleven private dental offices and a university clinic offered the program to individuals who experienced fear of going to the dentist. During a period of 15 months, 111 people went through the program. Their ages ranged from 11 to 68 years, and the average time since they had last seen a dentist was four years. First, they filled out questionnaires designed to measure the severity and nature of their fears and talked with a staff member about their responses. They watched a videotape of a dentist performing a procedure on a fearful patient; the patient was able to stop the procedure and the dentist was gentle and reassuring. The participants were trained in two relaxation techniques and were given audiotapes so they could practice at home. Finally, the staff member used a technique called systematic desensitization and described scenes leading up to the dental procedure while the participants used relaxation techniques to reduce their fearful reactions. The program was effective in decreasing strong dental fears, since 77 percent of the people subsequently went through with substantial dental treatments and said that at least some parts of the program were helpful in reducing their fears. Sixty-four percent said that without the program they might not have sought dental treatment. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

The article explores the influence of new media on treating phobias based on natural objects such as snakes and spiders. Research involved interviewing members of the United KingdomEs National Phobics Society. Discussion includes whether complete cultural-based control can be asserted over unpredictable natural phenomena.

Half the people in the United States are said to fear going to the dentist, and 30 million of these are considered to have such a severe fear or phobia that they avoid going to the dentist at all. A woman with dental phobia was interviewed and her case is reported. She entered a Dental Fear Program and after two sessions X-rays were taken and she was able to agree to a dental treatment plan. By replacing their fear responses with new behavior, patients like this woman are able to overcome their phobia. Dental anxiety clinics have been established by several universities and medical centers throughout the country. Systematic desensitization and relaxation techniques are often employed. According to one clinic director, usually within three sessions a patient can accept an injection without experiencing an anxiety reaction. Methods for helping the fearful patient are outlined. The general dental practitioner plays an important role in preventing fears, and is encouraged to talk with the patient if fear is suspected. The fearful geriatric patient may remember the days of less sophisticated dentistry. Treatment of these patients requires special considerations. It is important to diagnose the anxious dental patient; frequently they try to hide their fears. There are certain characteristics to look for, such as missed appointments, embarrassment at dental condition, tension, fidgeting, visiting only for emergency dental work and tearful or excessively compliant behavior. Sometimes just asking a patient if he/she is anxious, is the best method of diagnosis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Goodman, Ashley A.; Brown, Donald C. (2009). Pain, Anxiety, and Dental Gagging in Adults and Children. In Brown, Donald C. (Ed), Advances in the Use of Hypnosis for Medicine, Dentistry [...]

Bar-Gil, B., Eli, I., Kleinhauz, M. (1983). A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Dental Phobia. Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine, Vol. 30, 137-41. David [...]

Golden, William L. (2006). Hypnotherapy for Anxiety, Phobias and Psychophysiological Disorders. In Chapman, Robin A. (Ed). The Clinical Use of Hypnosis in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.' A Practitioner's Casebook. (pp. 101-137). [...]

Hill, Robert; Bannon-Ryder, Glynn. (2005). The Use of Hypnosis in the Treatment of Driving Phobia. Contemporary Hypnosis, Vol 22(2), 99-103. The client was a 37-year-old married woman with two young [...]

Kraft, Tom; Kraft, David. (Nov 2006). The Place of Hypnosis in Psychiatry: Its Applications in Treating Anxiety Disorders and Sleep Disturbances. Australian Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis, Vol 34(2), [...]

Godoy, Pedro H. Torres; Araoz, Daniel L. (Yrans). (Sep 1999). The Use of Hypnosis in Anxiety, Phobia and Psychosomatic Disorders: An Eight-Year Review (Part One). Australian Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy [...]

Specific phobia is the most common anxiety disorder, having a lifetime prevalence of 12.5 per cent and typically a chronic course with low rates of spontaneous remission. There is evidence [...]