Do all treatments work for flight phobia? Computer-assisted exposure versus a brief multicomponent nonexposure treatment

Psychotherapy Research. Volume 16, Issue 1, 2006, 41-50. Do all treatments work for flight phobia? Computer-assisted exposure versus a brief multicomponent nonexposure treatment. DOI:10.1080/10503300500091058. Xavier Bornas, Miquel Tortella-Feliu & Jordi Llabrés

Computer-assisted treatments have proven to be effective in the treatment of several anxiety disorders and depression, but the role of exposure remains unclear. This study compares the efficacy of a computer-assisted exposure treatment (CAE) with a brief multicomponent nonexposure treatment (MNE) for flight phobia. Outcome measure assessments were conducted at posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up. No differences were found between CAE and MNE in reducing fear of flying. In both conditions patients improved significantly and clinically meaningfully, and results were maintained at 6- month follow-up. These findings challenge the idea that exposure is essential in reducing phobic anxiety and support the idea that specific phobias may be well suited for brief cognitive–behavioral treatments.

Computer-assisted therapy in the treatment of flight phobia: A case report

Xavier Bornas, Miquel A. Fullana, Miquel Tortella-Feliu, Jordi Llabres, Gloria Garcia de la Banda, Computer-assisted therapy in the treatment of flight phobia: A case report, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Volume 8, Issue 3, Summer 2001, Pages 234-240, ISSN 1077-7229, DOI: 10.1016/S1077-7229(01)80058-4

The efficacy of computer-assisted exposure (CAE) therapy for the treatment of flight phobia was examined. The subject was a 34-year-old man with severe fear and almost complete avoidance of flying. Six 50-minute CAE sessions and two 20-minute booster sessions were conducted over a period of 1 month. All self-reported measures of the fear of flying decreased following CAE, and before the subject took a one-hour flight with minimal distress. A follow-up after 6 months revealed that he had flown three times without anxiety. The implications of CAE for treatment of flight phobia are discussed.