For individuals
Bring Rephobia to your therapist
Rephobia is graded exposure therapy delivered in virtual reality, by a therapist, in the room, and fully under their control. It is not an app you treat yourself with. If you think it could help, the most useful thing you can do is show it to the clinician you are seeing.
What it is
Exposure therapy is a long-established part of treatment for specific phobias. It usually means approaching the thing you fear gradually, at a pace you can manage, with a therapist alongside you. The hard part is practical: heights, flights and animals are difficult to arrange in a consulting room, and conditions are never the same twice.
Rephobia gives your therapist a controlled environment they can adjust while you are in it, and repeat the same way at your next appointment. They decide where you start, they can ease the intensity up or down as you go, and they can stop at any point.
What it is not
- It is not something you use on your own. Rephobia is designed for use with a qualified clinician present throughout.
- It is not a replacement for therapy, assessment, or your clinician's judgement about what is right for you.
- It is not a crisis service, and nothing on this site is medical advice.
Where the project is at
Rephobia is not generally available yet. We are working with clinicians and with Queen's University Belfast, where an early pilot looked at how people respond to the interactive environments compared with matched 360 video. That is evidence about the mechanism and about whether the approach is feasible - it is not proof of a clinical outcome, and we will not describe it as though it were. A full trial is in planning.
Practically, that means your therapist cannot buy Rephobia off the shelf today. They can ask for a walkthrough and about early access for their practice.
How to raise it with your therapist
You do not need to explain the technology. Two things are usually enough:
- Try the browser-based 360 experience yourself, so you can say what it felt like. It runs on a phone or laptop with nothing to install.
- Send them the session walkthrough. It is written for clinicians and covers how a session runs, from choosing a scenario to reviewing progress.
No purchase and no sign-up. Your therapist brings Rephobia into your sessions. If they would like to talk to us directly, they can book a walkthrough or email clinical@rephobia.com.