Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Evaluating Flight Performance and Eye Movement Patterns Using Virtual Reality Flight Simulator
Published on: May 19, 2023
Virtual-reality-assisted treatment of flight phobia
Helene S Wallach1, Margalit Bar-Zvi
1Tsfat College, Tsfat, Israel. helenwa@Yahoo.com
Background:
Flight phobia is a common and debilitating specific phobia. Recently, an effective technology, called Virtual Reality (VR), has been developed for the treatment of various anxiety disorders including flight phobia.
Method:
This article reports the results of a pilot study consisting of four subjects treated for Flight Phobia using Virtual Reality.
Results:
All four subjects flew post-treatment. They experienced a significant reduction in fear of flying on two measures--anxiety about flying and global rating of fear of flying.
Limitations:
due to the small sample size, the lack of a control group, and the lack of objective measures, caution must be exercised in interpreting the results.
Conclusions:
The use of Virtual Reality psychotherapy is relatively new worldwide, as well as in Israel. This study suggests the utility of implementing this technology in Israel.
