Can Computers Help Cure People with Phobias?

Your computer can help you to do a variety of activities from banking to video chatting with your relatives. You may be surprised to find out it can even help you get over your phobia.

A phobia is an extreme fear of something that can cause you severe impairment in your daily life. It may prevent you from being able to keep a steady job, or it may cause you to isolate yourself from other people.

What are some of the things that tend to cause the paralyzing fear of a phobia?

Spiders, snakes, and insects are phobias for many people. Situations like flying on a plane or being in an enclosed space (claustrophobia) can also be very stressful and trigger phobias in people.

The best way mental health professionals recommend for you to get over a phobia is to face your fear head-on. This may seem like a simple enough concept, but it is actually extremely difficult to control your anxiety enough to confront your fear directly. If it is done too quickly, being exposed to the object of your phobia can actually make you feel more afraid.

To teach someone to get over a phobia using the “face your fears” approach, mental health workers employ a technique called exposure. This allows you to see that your phobia will not necessarily harm you. Through exposure, you can gradually learn to feel less anxious about your phobia in a safe environment.

To read about a computer program that uses exposure to eliminate phobias, click on the link below.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130804/FEATURES/308040034/Computer-assisted-treatments-help-patients-conquer-their-phobias

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