Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Using Augmented Reality To Treat Cockroach Phobia

Posted by samzenpus on from the virtually-fixed dept.

RichDiesal writes "In this blog post, I describe a new use for augmented reality — treating people for cockroach phobia. A recent paper in the academic journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking discusses a system where people suffering from cockroach phobia sit at a desk with a virtual reality headset. The headset has a camera on the front so that patients see the desk they're sitting at — but covered in cockroaches. In the study, researchers managed to elicit a fear response to virtual cockroaches similar to what would be experienced with real cockroaches. Sounds like a little slice of hell to me."

4 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. La Cucaroacha by flyneye · · Score: 5, Funny

    >())))))...

             

    --
    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  2. my cockroach phobia story by oddTodd123 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I got over my cockroach phobia pretty quickly after moving into my new house. They were coming into my house and I traced them back to the hole in the ground where the water meter is. My solution, not wanting to get too close, was to pour poison into hole. Ten minutes later my driveway, garage, and front yard were covered with dozens of stunned cockroaches that had crawled out of their makeshift cave looking for some other dark place to live, which included the firewood pile, every corner and edge of the building, and under my car tires. I had to round them up one by one (using a broom and dustpan!) and get rid of them. I collected them in a bucket, drowned them in more poison, and buried them. Not so afraid of cockroaches any more. But they still gross me out!

  3. Re:There are better, quicker ways to phobia relief by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure you are and were very well-intentioned, but amateur counseling based on pop psychology is akin to amateur surgery with a shotgun.
    You might consider a hobby with less potential danger like hand grenade tennis or blindfolded street racing. ;-)

  4. Re:I thought we already had LSD by mmaniaci · · Score: 5, Informative

    LSD won't give you that kind of hallucination. Tree bark will move up and down a tree, grass will swirl into a sort of whirlpool, and lights will become spectral and dance like a thousand tiny ballerinas, but you won't manifest insects on your desk. Psychedelics tend to meddle with your senses to where you hear parts of what you see, and see part of what you hear. The baseline to "All Tomorrow's Parties" becomes everyone's visible heartbeat. The sunset produces a low, comforting drone that pulses with shadows cast by breezy trees. Sex becomes... well, sex on LSD is how I believe we humans came up with God.

    I know your post was a joke, but misinformation about LSD is bad, m'kay. Its an absolutely beautiful drug, and if used responsibly and in good company, it can lead to some truly amazing insights and lasting happiness. I don't mean that if you take LSD you'll become Jimi Hendrix, but in the 8 hours of tripping, you will find out more about yourself than you ever thought possible. Oh, and its literally impossible to overdose, but don't take my word for it. If you must do drugs, do them responsibly!!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_diethylamide#Dangers
    Don't take any drug without visiting this site: http://www.erowid.org/