Fear reactivation prior to exposure therapy: does it facilitate the effects of VR exposure in a randomized clinical sample?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The current study is the first to examine whether reactivation of fear memory prior to exposure therapy reduces relapse in a randomized clinical sample.

METHODS

In a standardized treatment protocol combining virtual reality and in-vivo exposure, patients underwent a fear reactivation procedure using a virtual spider 10 min prior to a virtual reality (VR) exposure (reactivation group: RG, n = 15). A control group (CG, n = 17) was exposed to a virtual plant 10 min prior to the VR exposure. Outcome measures were a VR spontaneous recovery test (SRT) and in-vivo a behavioral avoidance test assessed 24 h after VR exposure. One week later an in-vivo exposure session followed. Additionally, a follow-up using psychometric assessment was conducted six months after the first session.

RESULTS

Both groups benefitted significantly and equally from the combined treatment, and importantly, the SRT revealed no return of fear in both groups. Furthermore, follow-up tests showed long-term treatment effects with no group differences.

LIMITATIONS

Due to different study components (VR treatment and in-vivo), we were not able to determine which treatment module was mainly responsible for the long-term treatment effect. Furthermore, no direct measure of memory destabilization was possible in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

Our treatment package was highly effective in reducing phobic fear up to 6 months following treatment. Explicit fear reactivation prior to exposure was not beneficial in VR exposure treatment, possibly due to a failure to induce a memory destabilization or due to an implicit fear reactivation prior to treatment in both groups.