Engagement

• Reproducing real-life scenarios in the comfort of the therapy room and under the therapist`s guidance reduces clients` reluctance to be exposed to triggering situations due to the fear of being retraumatized. Thus, they are more likely to stay engaged in the whole therapeutic process and actually get the results they came for.

• Increased commitment to therapy and better therapeutic outcome in children and youth with ADHD. For example, using guided relaxation, breathing, or focus VR environments at the beginning of the session help kids maintain their focus during the CBT part of the session.

• People with severe social or generalized anxiety highly benefit from the relaxation VR environments prior to the CBT part of the session. They are noticeably calm, relaxed, and focused during the session. They report decreased muscle tension, decreased heart rate, and normalized breathing which help them to learn CBT tools more effectively.

Safety

• The intensity of the exposure is customized according to the severity of clients` condition and their therapeutic needs before and during the VR session to make sure the exposure to virtual environments is safe.

• Client can stop the exposure in VR environments at any time, unlike in in-vivo exposure. For example, getting out of the vehicle on a highway, getting off the plain, getting away from a dog or an incest, etc.

Accessibility

• With Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy there is no need to take clients with fear of heights to the rooftop, clients with fear of flying to a plain, or clients with claustrophobia to the elevator. Any phobia can be treated using Virtual Reality Exposure, unlike treatments that use in-vivo or imaginary exposure.

Confidentiality

• Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy helps to maintain confidentiality of clients who suffer from social anxiety or agoraphobia by replacing in-vivo exposure (e.g. going out to the community) with an appropriate VR Environment.

Therapeutic Outcome

• VRET increases effectiveness of the treatment of specific anxiety and phobias because it makes it more doable to address clients` hierarchy of triggers. For example, in VRET, clients who suffer from driving anxiety can chose driving slowly on a country road with the perfect weather and no traffic at the beginning of the treatment and driving in a rush hour on a busy highway in heavy rain closer to the end of the treatment. All this in the comfort of the therapy room or home and under the close supervision of VRET therapist without actual physically driving.