Do you have an intense fear of spiders? There’s an app for that: Researchers in Switzerland developed an augmented reality platform to help people deal with arachnophobia.
The app, dubbed Phobys, acts as a sort of “exposure therapy,” guiding patients through computer-generated situations in order to gradually break down their phobia.
“Yes, their movement is weird and uncontrollable, they have eight legs, catch their food in nests, and frankly they are not the most appealing creatures,” the Phobys website explains. “But spiders are harmless and should be more afraid of us than the other way around.”
Still, there is an evolutionary reason to feel uncomfortable around or afraid of the minibeasts, according to the team at the University of Basel; some individuals’ fear develops through trauma or learned behavior. But people rarely seek professional help, reluctant to confront spiders as part of their therapy.
Phobys works by creating a realistic augmented reality arachnid, making it easier for people with a fear of spiders to face than the real thing. Users can work through 10 levels of interaction with the virtual spider, with tasks at each step becoming more intense and more difficult. The app encourages folks to track their progress via self assessments, and utilizes game elements like rewarding feedback, animations, and sound effects for added motivation.
Over the course of two weeks, study participants who trained with Phobys showed “significantly less fear and disgust” when approaching a real spider, and were able to get closer to the creepy crawlies than the control group (which did not use the app). “If you use the app repeatedly, you might even grow fond of the spider, and—we promise—the spider is definitely fond of you,” the product page said.
Phobys is available to download for iOS and Android. Users can test their phobia of virtual spiders for free, then unlock the complete training course for $5 through the app.
