yes, therapy helps!
8 apps to treat phobias and fears from your smartphone

8 apps to treat phobias and fears from your smartphone

March 28, 2024

Phobias are anxiety disorders that are characterized by the person who suffers feels an irrational fear in front of a stimulus (situation, animal, object, etc.) that you try to avoid.

Thanks to the advancement of new technologies, there are a series of mobile applications that aim to help manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life for people suffering from a phobic disorder.

If you suffer from some type of phobia, in this article you can find a list of applications to treat it from your smartphone .

Different types of phobias

Phobias can be of different types and experts say they can be classified into three groups. Social phobia is an irrational fear that a person suffers from situations of social interaction (for example, when speaking in public). The main fear of these individuals is what others will think of them and fear being judged, humiliated or criticized.


Another type of phobia is agoraphobia, in which the person feels a great fear of being in situations in which he feels vulnerable or unprotected, for example, he is afraid of being in an open space and that is why he retires at home as a way of avoidance, also, There are specific phobias, which are those that are characterized by a strong irrational fear of a stimulus , for example, a situation, an object, a place or an insect.

  • Specific phobias are many, and some of them very rare. You can check it in our article: "The 15 purest phobias that exist"

Apps to treat phobias

But, What apps can we download to treat phobic disorders?


Below you can find a selection of applications for your smartphone that can be very useful.

1. Phobia Free

The app Phobia Free is an augmented reality application that allows you to treat the fear of spiders . The systematic desensitization technique, which belongs to the cognitive-behavioral therapeutic model, is used, which consists of exposing the person suffering from this disorder to its phobic object in a slow and progressive manner. At first, people have to overcome a series of games in which spiders appear harmless. As the game progresses, they become more real.

2. Phobious

Phobious is a very useful application for all kinds of phobia s , although it can also be used for a wide variety of anxiety disorders such as OCD or post-traumatic stress. Phobius uses different technological means that allow a better treatment, for example, augmented reality or webcam treatment sessions. In addition, the creators of this app have agreements with different hospital institutions such as Hospital Clínic, Sant Pau or Johns Hopkins for continuous updating.


Take a look at this video to get an idea of ​​how Phobious works:

3. Cure phobias and overcome fear

This powerful app treats phobias through hypnosis, whatever the fear (height, flying, flying, darkness, etc.) . The app consists of a series of audios developed by psychologist Elizabeth Harford, which help the user to move forward and deal with the phobia. The person will feel more secure, more relieved and more confident.

4. Spider phobia cardboard

This application uses virtual reality and is designed to help people suffering from arachnophobia (intense fear of spiders) to fight their fears. Participants enter a virtual office where there are small spiders. The intensity of the presence of the spiders increases gradually. For example, at the beginning the spider is in a jar and then the spider is out of it. The app has been developed jointly with a group of psychologists.

5. Freedom from fears and phobias

Freedom from Fears and Phobias is one of the applications that aim to help overcome phobias and fears . There are different applications that use hypnosis to help the user to be calm and relaxed, and this is one of the best. By being more relaxed, the user will be more open to suggestion and will be able to follow the instructions indicated by the app.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most effective applications that employ this method. The free version is based on the treatment of arachnophobia, but it is possible to acquire different versions such as for fear of injections or clowns. Each new version has an additional cost.

6. Phobias and How to Overcome Them

This application is an audio book of extraordinary richness that is based on current, scientific and clinical research about phobias. The app answers several urgent questions for anyone suffering from phobias.It is also useful for family members and friends of people with this disorder.

What is a phobia? What are your typical symptoms? What is the real risk when suffering from a phobia? What causes phobias? Are they inherited or learned? Who is more vulnerable to phobias? How can phobias be diagnosed, managed and overcome? What therapies have proven to be most successful in the treatment of phobias? What can I learn about my specific phobia? ... These and many other issues are covered in this app , which is based on the idea that the understanding of the disorder is key to overcome it.

7. Itsy

Virtual reality in mental health care has been used by many health applications, and Itsy is no exception . Basically it works to slowly expose users to a series of spiders in different environments similar to real life. Initially, the spiders have a gentle attitude, but as they advance, they modify their appearance to appear more dangerous.

8. MindShift

The thoughts of terror and fear that affect the person with the phobia can cause tremendous discomfort . This app, which also works for other anxiety disorders, is also useful for treating phobias. It contains a diary and a series of relaxation tips. The tips are focused on phobias, fears and anxiety in general.

Apps to treat anxiety

If the previous apps are more focused on the treatment of specific phobias, there are other apps that are also useful to treat anxious symptoms and irrational concerns. These apps are intended to help the user to feel more relaxed.

  • If you want to know the different apps to treat anxiety in the market, you can visit our article: "15 apps to treat anxiety"

Freedom From Fears & Phobias Hypnosis App (March 2024).


Similar Articles