Table 1 Overview of 0Phobia modules
From: 0Phobia – towards a virtual cure for acrophobia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Modules | Contents |
|---|---|
1. Psychoeducation | Explanation of the nature of a specific phobia, its emergences and potential consequences |
2. Goals and treatment principles | Participants define their goals for the treatment and treatment principles underlying exposure are explained |
3. Exposure therapy | Virtual reality (VR) content will be explained and participants will practice in a virtual environment |
4. Cognitive therapy | According to the established principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), users identify and evaluate their automatic catastrophic thoughts regarding heights (e.g., “I am bound to fall” or “I will jump”). After that, subjects can practice with non-interactive 360° VR videos |
5. Cognitive therapy | In this module, users will develop helping thoughts countering the automatic catastrophic thoughts identified in module 4 |
6. The next steps.. | This module contains information on how the user can continue their practice and further reduce their fear and prevent relapse. This includes developing an individualized fear hierarchy. Explicit attention is devoted to motivation and encouragement |