When you think of self-help with an anxiety disorder, you usually think of a book. If you see a psychotherapist for an anxiety disorder you think of an interactive conversation that is customized to your needs. What is recently possible is a combination of both the right information with an interactive application of treatment. With the advent of interactive web design, a new set of possibilities opens up.
I have often thought about how to create an app that would mimic what would happen with an experienced therapist but would be self-directed. I even pitched this idea to an app development company in Europe. They were very interested but didn’t think it would be profitable at the time so that was a dead end.
A colleague and friend of mine, Anna Christie, came across a website that looked like it may be just that combination of accurate information and interactive application for emetophobia. We got into contact with the developer of this website, William Schaller, because of how promising the site appeared.
Anna and I have posted a hierarchy that has been tested over time for this phobia and is effective, adaptable, and applicable to most situations. She first published the original web version way before there was anything else like it. We use it in our practices, Chris and I adapted it for use with children in our supplement, and we know clinicians everywhere use it. What we didn’t know was how to build into a website the specific techniques we would use in our office with patients. We could write out instructions but the ability to adjust and adapt to a client’s need was way beyond our programming ability.
This is where it gets interesting. William, who is a programmer, has done that and so much more on his interactive website. You can fine-tune the process so you can go at your own pace. You get immediate feedback. You get excellent psychoeducation. You get exposures in a logical order and you cannot jump ahead and get so alarmed you never want to try it again. One of the most complicated aspects of using exposure therapeutically is determining how often you need to repeat an exposure. (It has to be learned/memorized like any new information so repetition is essential). He has figured out how to program this into the site. It is as close to the customized, interactive experience you could only get with a skilled clinician as one can imagine.
In short, this site is brilliant and he is continuing to improve and develop it. Currently, it is for adults. However, I am incredibly excited about his latest venture which is developing a site for children. He is going to embed the entire process into a Minecraft adventure – genius. This is very much like we did with the Turnaround program. Treatment for anxiety that is also entertaining!!! He showed me a beta version a couple weeks ago. I cannot wait to see the final product.
The site is biajourney. It is state-of-the-art. I cannot being to tell you how much of the expertise you would get with a skilled therapist is built into the program. If you start, practice, and finish the treatment prescribed in this site you have every chance to get on the other side of this phobia. If you don’t have access to a clinician trained in the treatment of emetophobia, follow the link to the best help you will ever get apart from an in-person specialist, bar none. And it is far less expensive.
Disclosures: I have consulted with William on the site. On a few occasions, I have been compensated at the hourly rate I charge for therapy. I do not derive any other income or benefit from the site. I will not receive any income from visits to the site from this post. I won’t even know about it. In other words, I am getting nothing from this post. In fact, we may lose some visitors/customers to our sites and products.
David Russ