A couple engineering and computer science students at Santa Clara University are working on using the Oculus Rift VR headset to fight phobias, starting with fear of heights and flying.

With a background in video games, the pair teamed up with the chair of the university’s psychology department to study how to create a virtual reality experience that will progressively address patient fears.

The proposed solution links the Rift headset with a tablet running a specially designed app to be used by a therapist. While the patient wears the Rift, therapist is able to adjust the settings and guide the experience to the patient’s unique needs. For example, the treatment starts with the patient virtually standing on top of a building. Initially it is not very tall, but the therapist can slowly increase the building’s height while watching the emotional response of the patient.

By increasing the height without terrifying the patient, the therapy can gently nudge acrophobics to get used to being on tall objects and hopefully eventually lose their fear.

While the heights in the virtual world may frighten patients, the team noted that because wearers of the device know they can take it off at any time, they seem to more accepting of trying out the system. The next step would involve even more patients to test the system to see whether VR can be truly effective at allaying fears once and for all.