One of the most common phobias is probably the fear of spiders.

While some people manage to tolerate arachnids as long as they stay at a reasonable distance, others experience real panic attacks that can affect their daily life.

However, according to several studies in the field, this fear can be treated with gradual and gentle exposure to spiders.

This is the method that the Phobys application has chosen to help people suffering from arachnophobia.

It was created by the University of Basel in Switzerland and by its spin-off Mindguide, specializing in online therapies.

Phobys is an augmented reality application that has been developed to reduce the fear of spiders, by offering a training program with virtual spiders projected into the real world.

Positive results after 3 hours of use

The application offers 10 levels of exposure to spiders, in order to allow users to gradually become accustomed. For the app and augmented reality to work properly, the creators recommend positioning yourself in front of a flat, open and well-lit surface. Once the application is launched, users see through their phone different scenarios where spiders are present around the user. Initially motionless, the spiders will gradually become more and more active. An evaluation is carried out at the end of each session to establish the level of fear encountered.

The university says an internal study showed that using Phobys for 3 hours, spread over 6 30-minute sessions for 2 weeks, significantly reduced the fear of spiders in participants.

Not recommended in case of intense phobia

The application is intended for people with moderate fear of spiders.

Researchers strongly advise against the use of Phobys without supervision in cases of intense phobia which may for example cause palpitations or sweating.

In this type of case, the developers recommend going to a specialist.

Phobys is available on the Play Store and on iOS.

The free offer offers two experiences: a first "calm" and a more "frightening".

They make it possible to establish a first base of the level of fear.

The rest of the levels are then accessible for 5 euros.

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