Survival Swimming Performance Enhancement Workshop – Mental Skills and Virtual Reality to Manage Acrophobia
by Jen Schumacher and Bridget Melton, CSCS, TSAC-F
TSAC Report
January 2020
Vol 54, Issue 3
This article will highlight an intervention involving mental skills training and virtual reality (VR) to address acrophobia with this population.
This article originally appeared in TSAC Report, the NSCA’s quarterly, online-only publication geared toward the training of tactical athletes, operators, and facilitators. It provides research-based articles, performance drills, and conditioning techniques for operational, tactical athletes. The TSAC Report is only available for NSCA Members. Read more articles from TSAC Report
References
1. Arroll, B, Henwood, SM, Sundram, FI, Kingsford, DW, Mount, V, Humm, SP, et al. A brief treatment for fear of heights: A randomized controlled trial of a novel imaginal intervention. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 52(1): 21-33, 2017.
2. Arroll, B, Wallace, HB, Mount, V, Humm, SP, and Kingsford, DW. A systematic review and meta-analysis of treatments for acrophobia. The Medical Journal of Australia 206(6): 263-267, 2017.
3. Bun, P, Gorski, F, Grajewski, D, Wichniarek, R, and Zawadzki, P. Low–cost devices used in virtual reality exposure therapy. Procedia Computer Science 104: 445-451, 2017.
4. Coelho, CM, Silva, CF, Santos, JA, Tichon, J, and Wallis, W. Contrasting the effectiveness and efficiency of virtual reality and real environments in the treatment of acrophobia. PsychNology 6(2): 203-216, 2008.
5. Dahl, A, Campos, JJ, Anderson, DI, Uchiyama, I, Witherington, DC, Ueno, M, et al. The epigenesis of wariness of heights. Psychological Science 24(7): 1361-1367, 2013.
6. Emmelkamp, PMG, Krijn, M, Hulsbosch, AM, De Vries, S, Schuemie, MJ, and Van der Mast, CAPG. Virtual reality treatment versus exposure in vivo: A comparative evaluation in acrophobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy 40(5): 509-516, 2002.
7. Freeman, D, Haselton, P, Freeman, J, Spanlang, B, Kishore, S, Albery, E, et al. Automated psychological therapy using immersive virtual reality for treatment of fear of heights: A single-blind, parallel-group, randomised control trial. Lancet Psychiatry 5: 625-632, 2018.
8. Kapfhammer, HP, Huppert, D, Grill, E, Fitz, W, and Brandt, T. Visual height intolerance and acrophobia: Clinical characteristics and comorbidity patterns. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 265(5): 375-385, 2015.
9. Westgate, EM. Overcoming the 6.5 meter tower: Psychological approaches for West Point survival swimming (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 2016.
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