Byline: Altshul, Sara

Spiders really did frighten Miss Muffet, aka Patience Mouffet, the real-life little girl from 16th-century London whose father crushed the eight-legged bugs into her curds and whey as a misguided home remedy. Unfortunately, virtual reality (VR) therapy didn't exist to help Patience overcome her phobia.

Now it does. Like a futuristic video game, VR phobia treatment immerses you in a computer-generated 3-D world where you gradually confront, and vanquish, your worst fear. In a University of Washington study, 23 arachnophobes (people afraid of spiders) were able to calmly stand next to a live tarantula after several rounds of spider exposure via VR goggles.

VR therapy lets you practice facing a fear before encountering the real thing. It's useful against a range of phobias, including flying, public speaking, and thunderstorms.

To find a VR therapist or to learn more about VR phobia therapy, visit www.prevention.com/links.

Links info: www.virtuallybetter.com www.vrphobia.com

Altshul, Sara