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.