Aviophobia affects approximately 10% of the French population and 20% of the world population. C2Care offers virtual reality exposure therapy, based on cognitive-behavioral therapies, to support practitioners in the treatment of their aviophobic patients.
Exposure to situations related to air travel can help aviophobic patients work on their anticipatory anxiety. Reproducing these situations in consultation is not always easy.
Organizing a real flight depends on material constraints, costs and a context that is impossible to repeat at will. The progression of exposure (from waiting at the airport to takeoff) is also difficult to control in these conditions.
Virtual reality makes it possible to recreate an airport and a plane directly in the office, in a controlled and reproducible environment.
The C2Care environments allow you to recreate the key stages of a plane journey and gradually integrate them during the sessions. The patient walks through the airport, waits at the boarding gate, then takes a seat on the plane.
The practitioner modulates sound and visual stimuli, as well as weather or turbulence, to adjust the intensity of exposure to the patient's condition. It can also schedule waiting times before boarding to observe the emotional experience in an anxiety-provoking situation.
These situations can be repeated and gradually integrated into the practitioner's protocol in order to work with the patient on catastrophic thoughts, emotions and reactions associated with air travel.
VRET
The practitioner seats the patient on a swivel chair and fits them with the virtual reality headset
Using the control interface, the practitioner selects the environment suited to the session's goals and starts the exposure.
During immersion, the practitioner supports the patient using a visual feed and can adjust the exposure scene in real time
Environments
C2Care reproduces the key stages of an airplane journey for progressive patient exposure.
The journey begins in the terminal, with the steps and atmosphere of an airport.
The patient walks through the boarding gate and gradually gets on the plane.
Takeoff, flight and light or severe turbulence can be worked on separately.
Landing and exiting the plane constitute the final stages of the journey.
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Solène Montègue
Neuropsychiatrist
The developments C2Care is currently integrating into the interface are very promising and meet the established therapeutic objectives [...]: offering tailored exercises that can be adapted to levels of dependency, cognitive disorders, and patients' real-time responses.
Samia Lahya
Psychiatrist
With the acquisition of new equipment [...] and updates to the C2Care programs, its use has expanded even further: OCD, phobias, addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD. Ten years later, it is no longer merely a curiosity, but a genuine therapeutic tool that is stimulating, innovative, and effective.
Sabrina Gineau
Psychologist
I incorporate this technology into brief therapies lasting two to four months, with one session per week. I begin with relaxation techniques and, when patients are ready, we proceed. It makes it much easier to expose people to these situations.
Noël Schepers
Psychologist
Virtual reality can enrich and personalize treatment, facilitate patient-therapist collaboration in developing the treatment plan, and add a playful dimension. The possibilities for development and application are immense and extend to every area of psychology and psychotherapy.
Mélanie Boucherot
Psychologist
The value of this technology [C2Care] lies in offering new possibilities for therapeutic support and expanding the range of tools available to healthcare professionals.
François Maltese
Psychologist
For several months, we have been using virtual reality in habituation therapies. Before the procedure, patients are progressively and immersively exposed to their future medical environment and psychologically prepared to accept it.
Dre Marie-Claude Roberge
Doctor of Psychology
Since 2022, we have been using virtual reality therapy with the C2Care platform to simulate exposure to aversive stimuli and triggers that cause anxiety. Exposure therapy is used to treat specific phobias, including fear of heights, enclosed spaces, flying, dogs, emetophobia, and many others.
Dr Laure Du Pouget
Urologist
Using a virtual reality headset for self-hypnosis during prostate biopsies creates a calm atmosphere for a procedure that can sometimes be uncomfortable, even with effective local anesthesia...
Delphine Py
Psychologist
Thank you to C2Care for providing innovative virtual reality solutions to support CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)! A major step forward in making exposure exercises easier and helping our patients overcome their phobias.
Mesquita et al. — Virtual reality versus 2D videos for fear of flying: randomized trial with long-term follow-up
Is virtual reality always better than 2D videos? A head-to-head randomized controlled trial for fear of flying with long-term follow-up
Lacey et al. — oVRcome: autonomous virtual reality for specific phobias
oVRcome - Self-guided virtual reality for specific phobias: A randomised controlled trial
Rus-Calafell et al. — Virtual reality exposure and imaginary exposure in the treatment of fear of flying
Virtual reality exposure and imaginal exposure in the treatment of fear of flying: a pilot study
Tortella-Feliu et al. — Virtual reality versus computer-assisted exposure for fear of flying
Virtual reality versus computer-aided exposure treatments for fear of flying
Rothbaum et al. — Virtual reality exposure therapy and in vivo exposure in the treatment of fear of flying
Virtual reality exposure therapy and standard (in vivo) exposure therapy in the treatment of fear of flying
Discover more
Depending on your patients' needs, other areas may also be relevant to explore. Discover the different environments available in C2Care.
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FAQ
Find the answers to the questions most asked by practitioners on the management of aviophobia in virtual reality.
C2Care has been testing its virtual reality exposure therapy software in hospitals since 2016. This experience has since extended to numerous practitioners and health establishments, in France and internationally.
The patient wears an immersive headset in which the therapist programs a scenario, for example entering the airport or taking off. The practitioner monitors the anxiety-provoking stimuli (sounds, visuals, turbulence) in real time to adjust the graduated exposure.
A virtual environment is a 3D reconstruction of an anxiety-provoking situation, such as the airport or the cabin of an airplane. The patient explores it with headphones, while the therapist modulates the stimuli to build a progressive and personalized exposure.
Virtual reality is not dangerous as such. Some people experience cybersickness, nausea or disorientation, which affects around 10% of users and remains transient. The therapist adapts the exposure to limit this discomfort.
Yes, some people experience cybersickness linked to headset use, which affects around 10% of users. This sensation, similar to motion sickness, is generally transient and can be reduced by adjusting the session.
Virtual reality treats anxiety disorders and specific phobias, including aviophobia, as well as addictions and certain cognitive disorders. Each environment, such as the airport or the plane, allows for graduated exposure adapted to the patient's disorder.
Practitioners such as psychologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists use virtual reality in therapeutic care. They program and control exposure scenarios, such as the different stages of an airplane trip, according to the patient's needs.
Patients suffering from aviophobia, a specific phobia affecting around 10% of the French population, can benefit from this therapy. The treatment is individualized: the therapist can target a specific stage of the journey or offer the complete exposure.
Therapeutic virtual reality is intended for practitioners: psychologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists. It is deployed in private practices as well as in health establishments (CHU, hospitals, clinics, EHPAD).
The virtual reality exposure frees itself from the logistical constraints of the in vivo exposure. The practitioner precisely controls the stimuli and can repeat the scenarios as much as necessary, for personalized and reproducible treatment.
Yes, all our environments are grouped into a single application.
Our technical service can be reached via live chat from your control platform. If there is a problem with the VR headset, we will establish a diagnosis with you in order to understand your difficulty and find a solution. If necessary, we will provide you with a return label and replace the defective material within 48 hours.
Patients with an anxiety disorder or specific phobia, such as aviophobia, may benefit from virtual reality exposure therapy. Treatment is individualized according to the severity and typology of each patient's disorder.
