Ottawa·Our Ottawa

Virtual reality used to tackle real-world fears, phobias

Our Ottawa host Lucy van Oldenbarneveld tackled her fear of flying this week by visiting a cyberpsychology lab in Gatineau, one where virtual reality machines are used to help simulate our phobias.

A puck-finding dog, rising food prices and a school lunch program also featured this week

Dr. Stephane Bouchard on cyber-psychology

11 years ago
Duration 8:16
Gatineau lab uses virtual reality to help people deal with their phobias.

Our Ottawa host Lucy van Oldenbarneveld tackled her fear of flying this week by visiting a cyberpsychology lab in Gatineau, one where virtual reality machines are used to help simulate our phobias. 

Watch the video above to see Lucy's interview with Dr. Stephane Bouchard, the Canada Research Chair in Clinical Cyberpsychology, on how effective virtual reality settings are to psychologists and patients.

Our Ottawa host Lucy van Oldenbarneveld tries to face her fear of flying with the aid of virtual reality. (CBC)
Lucy's full feature airs on Our Ottawa, which you can watch every Saturday at 6 a.m., as well as Sundays and Mondays at 11 a.m.

Also on the show this week:

  • Beef up | We look at the local impact of the rising price of beef.
  • The puck finding pup | A golden retriever has a nose for rubber and his owners are hoping it can help a charity.
  • Most important meal | We check in on a fundraiser to aid the school breakfast program for students at Ottawa elementary schools. 

Tune in to Our Ottawa every Saturday at 6 a.m. ET, plus Sundays and Mondays at 11 a.m. ET on CBC Television.

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