Evolution of VRET to Assist in the Treatment of Phobias: a systematic review

摘要

People affected by some kind of phobia have a feeling of panic, which prevents them from leading a normal life, due to an illogical fear. Activities described as routine for some people bring up sensations that are uncontrollable to those suffering from phobia. This review was developed to systematically examine the evidence on virtual reality exposure therapy for phobias and to analyze the evolution of virtual reality environments, critically describing the main challenges in the field. Evidence has shown that virtual reality is an effective treatment for phobias and the environments provided have shown a significant evolution in the sense of presence, making the environments more realistic. We conclude that the virtual reality exposure therapy is an important tool for the treatment of phobias and a low cost option.