ABSTRACT
People can develop a phobia of almost any living creature: bees, birds, cats, cockroaches, dogs, snakes, spiders, and so on. The chapter opens by explaining how insect and animal phobias fit the cycle of anxiety introduced in Chapter 2. It then moves on to describe various ways therapists can use virtual reality (VR) in reducing the phobic triggers, coping with anxiety sensations, uncovering, and challenging phobic fears, and stopping fear-based actions through virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). Various treatment challenges are discussed with suggested interventions. Three case examples demonstrate the uses of VR: one case of spider phobia (arachnophobia), one case of a phobia of both spiders and insects (entomophobia), and one case of dog phobia (cynophobia). Finally, the evidence base for VRET with spider or insect phobias is presented.
