Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Anxiety Disorders
Abstract
Anxiety disorders, including phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, are common and disabling disorders that often involve avoidance behavior. Cognitive-behavioral treatments, specifically imaginal and in vivo forms of exposure therapy, have been accepted and successful forms of treatment for these disorders. Virtual reality exposure therapy, an alternative to more traditional exposure-based therapies, involves immersion in a computer-generated virtual environment that minimizes avoidance and facilitates emotional processing. In this article, we review evidence on the application of virtual reality exposure therapy to the treatment of specific phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder and discuss its advantages and cautions.
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Virtual reality exposure is considered an effective treatment for several anxiety disorders, on par with in vivo exposure.
“Virtual reality exposure (VRE) in particular is considered an effective treatment for several anxiety disorders2, on par with in vivo exposure/IVE3,4, though doubts were expressed about the quality of this evidence5.”
From The effectiveness of virtual reality based interventions for symptoms of anxiety and depression: A meta-analysis (2018) · cites this paper as [3]
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- Authors
- Gerardi, M., Cukor, J., Difede, J., Rizzo, A., & Rothbaum, B. O.
- Affiliations
- Emory University (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rothbaum, Barbara Olasov
- Venue
- Current Psychiatry Reports
- Published
- 2010-06-10
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 298-305
- ISSN
- 1523-3812 (ISSN-L)
- 1535-1645
- OpenAlex
- W2144575360
- Cited by
- 154
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 1.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Current Psychiatry Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- virtual reality exposure therapy, post-traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, anxiety disorders, avoidance behavior, imaginal exposure, in vivo exposure, cognitive behavioral therapy, virtual worlds
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Clinical Trials as Topic, Computer Simulation, Humans, Implosive Therapy, Therapy, Computer-Assisted, User-Computer Interface, Treatment Outcome
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