I don’t love small spaces. I found this out on a hike as a teen. My group came across a cave that everyone wanted to check out. The entrance was so small that getting in entailed walking sideways, sidling in, until it opened up after a few feet. Several people went in. I started to follow. Then, presented with the rock face on MY face, I rapidly changed my mind and decided to sit that particular adventure out. Thirty minutes and some light teasing later, we were all back on the move, continuing on the mountain path.
As an adult, this fear has not interfered much. I don’t mind my 2-person elevator, and there aren’t a lot of caves on the Upper West Side. But what if my family wanted to go cave exploring? It’s pretty important to me to set a good example of bravery, especially for my children. What would I do?
This is where some new technology at Gordon Therapy Group comes in. Now, you can practice facing your fears in the comfort of the office (or even via teletherapy at home) with Virtual Reality (VR). After years of helping people face fears and phobias in real time, this VR stuff is super fun and a great addition to what I’ve always done. Now, we don’t have to go find any bugs, or heights, or bridges, or small spaces, or needles – we can approach them virtually and it is astonishingly effective at extinguishing fear. The goggles in the office are definitely the best VR experience, but with a 20 dollar universal headset I can even help you use your phone to do the exposures at home, using the VR program that is specially designed for tele-therapy. To learn more, email info@gordontherapygroup.com and ask about VR. I’d love to help you face your version of the cave wall.