Mobile-Based Virtual Reality Application for Experiencing and Detecting Claustrophobia

Can You Feel It?

“…Previous research has studied the implementation of interoceptive cues for VRET, in which body sensations were replicated with visual and audio effects, such as fake quick-paced heartbeat (Villa Martin et al, 2007), panting (Villa Martin et al, 2007), blurred vision (Botella et al, 2007;Villa Martin et al, 2007), double vision (Botella et al, 2007;Villa Martin et al, 2007) and tunnel vision (Villa Martin et al, 2007). Other symptoms associated with panic disorder or claustrophobia such as dizziness (Simon et al, 1998), photo/light sensitivity (Bossini et al, 2009), tightness or pain in the chest, confusion and disorientation, or even the feeling of fainting (Rizhan et al, 2021), have not been explored yet. Furthermore, as stated by The American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, heat is another cue that also contributes to experiencing more anxiety in general (Tschinkel, 2018) and more specifically, in case of panic disorder (Leahy, 2009).…”

“…Introducing (black) spots as a visual interoceptive cue in virtual scenario, for instance, can imitate distorted vision, which is a bodily symptom associated with anxiety (Chambless et al, 1984;Schmidt and Trakowski, 2004). Other symptoms associated with panic disorder or claustrophobia such as tightness or pain in the chest, and disorientation, or even the feeling of fainting could also be explored (Rizhan et al, 2021).…”

“…Another interesting example is the inclusion of multisensory cues (visual + auditory + tactile + olfactory), as this has a great impact on the feeling of presence and immersion, which consequently has an impact on the effectiveness of fear elicitation, as reported by end-users (Peperkorn & Mühlberger, 2013;Marquardt et al, 2018;Song et al, 2021). Also, when designing VRET, the possibility of combining the treatment with other complementary elements of effective methods such as serious games (with different levels and challenges) could be considered, enabling the interaction with anxiety cues and the feeling of presence (Levy et al, 2016;Rizhan et al, 2021), as tested by Yoones et al (2017) through the comparison of an active vs passive virtual scenario in eliciting social anxiety. However, when focusing on the impact of implementing different types of perceptual cues and configurations in VRET, this is usually not assessed.…”

Virtual Reality as a Tool in the Treatment of Claustrophobia - A Review

“…It is characterized by an intense fear of enclosed spaces, which can cause a variety of physical and emotional symptoms. It can be a significant problem for people, as it can limit their ability to perform activities and negatively affect their emotional well-being [11].…”