Fear of flying is stopping you from traveling? Virtual reality could help. The Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal is now offering an immersive program to all its patients who might benefit from it. Myriam* tried it, adopted it and will soon be taking her first plane trip.
Myriam has suffered from agoraphobia since her early twenties. The idea of being in a place where she couldn’t escape, like a train, a tunnel or a skyscraper, terrified her. “If I was on the motorway at a standstill, I felt like a prisoner. It had become difficult to live with,” she says.
She did two years of therapy during the pandemic which allowed her to treat several of her phobias.
The big piece that remained, the one that had the most impact on my life, was the plane. Just being near an airport made me nervous.
Myriam, a patient who underwent virtual reality exposure therapy to overcome her fear of flying
Myriam is one of the first patients at the Allan Memorial Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) to undergo virtual reality exposure therapy to overcome her phobia.
The idea is not new. In the last decade, many researchers have explored the benefits of virtual reality therapy. The MUHC is one of the first centres to integrate this therapy into its care offering for all their patients who may benefit from it.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Jean-Philippe Gagné, psychologist at the MUHC Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Unit and professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University
“We can offer it for 12 sessions to any patient on our waiting list,” says Jean-Philippe Gagné, a psychologist at the MUHC’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Unit and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. A grant from Health Canada allowed them to complete the project.
Destabilizing stagings
To overcome irrational fears, exposure to your phobias is an effective psychological treatment method. “But flying is not something you can do every week to practice,” says Gagné.
Myriam thus began virtual reality therapy. “I found it nice to tell myself that I didn’t need to go to the airport and I knew that if I panicked, if I cried, I could take off the headset and my therapist was there,” explains the young woman.
When she puts on the virtual reality headset, a multitude of scenes can pass before her eyes: the taxi on the way to the airport, boarding, passing through the airport jetway, takeoff. The immersive worlds were created by the XRHealth platform.
“The first time I went into the tunnel to get to the plane, I cried because I was nervous. As I did it, it became less and less heavy,” says Myriam.
The exposure is done gradually. The intensity increases over the sessions, generally scheduled every week for three months. “In the platform, we can play with the variables, so there can be a lot of people on the plane, it can be during the day or in the evening, there can be a storm,” explains Mr. Gagné.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Immersive environments, like this one on board an airplane, were created by XRHealth.
Patients can also challenge themselves. “I tried different seats. At first, I was in the middle, then I moved to the window seat,” says Myriam. “Most recently, I moved to the aisle seat.”
The therapist has the option of adding comments from neighbors on board the plane, suggesting that it is going to crash, in order to recreate various stressful situations. “At first, it was really destabilizing,” she says. “I was angry with people. You are really in the scene, so you almost forget about the outside.”
Confronting your phobias
The program, which began in 2023, is open to all adults aged 18 and over. The psychologist is pleased to see the motivation of the participants. “People have been very brave,” he says. No patient has removed the headset during the intervention.
Patients generally show notable progress within the first few weeks. “We see that the initial hesitation and major anxiety-provoking reactions diminish after a few sessions,” says Mr. Gagné. This was particularly the case for Myriam.
I almost feel like going to the airport now. It’s something I never would have imagined doing before VR.
Myriam, a patient who underwent virtual reality exposure therapy to overcome her fear of flying
Once the 12 sessions are over, the psychologist encourages patients to confront their phobia in real life, in order to consolidate their knowledge. “That’s why during the pandemic, we saw phobias of airplanes come back, because people couldn’t travel,” explains Mr. Gagné.
Myriam now wants to face her fear. She applied for her passport, a task she had avoided for nearly 10 years. “I was so proud to have it in my hand,” she exclaims. In the coming months, she plans to travel to the United States with her friend… by plane.
Specific phobias that can be targeted with the Allan Memorial Institute’s virtual reality program: flying, heights, blood tests, spiders, cockroaches, dogs, pigeons, cats, driving, elevators, subways, darkness, storms, exams, agoraphobia, tight spaces.
*The patient’s first name has been changed to protect confidentiality.