A spiderless arachnophobia therapy: comparison between placebo and treatment groups and six-month follow-up study

Neural Plast. 2007:2007:10241. doi: 10.1155/2007/10241.

Abstract

We describe a new arachnophobia therapy that is specially suited for those individuals with severe arachnophobia who are reluctant to undergo direct or even virtual exposure treatments. In this therapy, patients attend a computer presentation of images that, while not being spiders, have a subset of the characteristics of spiders. The Atomium of Brussels is an example of such an image. The treatment group (n = 13) exhibited a significant improvement (time x group interaction: P = .0026) when compared to the placebo group (n = 12) in a repeated measures multivariate ANOVA. A k-means clustering algorithm revealed that, after 4 weeks of treatment, 42% of the patients moved from the arachnophobic to the nonarachnophobic cluster. Six months after concluding the treatment, a follow-up study showed a substantial consolidation of the recovery process where 92% of the arachnophobic patients moved to the nonarachnophobic cluster.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Phobic Disorders / physiopathology
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology*
  • Phobic Disorders / therapy*
  • Photic Stimulation / methods
  • Placebos
  • Spiders*

Substances

  • Placebos