How I'm using virtual reality to face my fear of heights
Andi Dawson has a crippling fear of heights.
It has become so severe that he is unable to travel by plane to visit his daughter - and instead takes a 10-hour train journey from East Ayrshire to Torquay in south west England.
To help overcome this fear he is now one of the first patients in Scotland to be offered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that’s delivered through a virtual reality (VR) headset.
The charity Kilmarnock Station Counselling Services is offering patients who experience issues like anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) the chance to learn coping mechanisms by experiencing real-life scenarios through the headsets.
It is the only service in NHS Ayrshire and Arran that takes GP referrals for counselling and CBT, helping more than 500 people per year.
The charity received an NHS Charities Trust grant of £20,000 for headsets and built-in scenarios, and it is hoped the pilot will lead to a wider rollout.
CBT therapist Laura Yetton is helping Andi face his fear of heights through a VR scenario which places him on top of a tall city tower block, near an edge.
She said: "By putting [Andi] into that situation in a controlled environment, it's proving to him and teaching him that he can cope in that environment."
Glasgow-based studio Vertical Vertical has developed the VR software used in the therapy sessions that are helping Andi take the first steps to get back on a plane.
"I'd like it to no longer be impacting my life or my family's lives," said Andi.
Reporting by Julie-Anne Barnes.
Video by Zara Weir.
