Avoidance in Anxiety: Why It’s Growing — and How VR Can Bridge the Gap

Avoidance is one of the most defining features of anxiety disorders. For people with phobias, it often starts small: skipping a flight, avoiding social gatherings, or steering clear of dogs after a bad encounter. Over time, avoidance becomes the default coping strategy. It feels safer, easier, and instantly relieving — but it also reinforces the fear, making the anxiety stronger in the long run.

But avoidance isn’t just a clinical symptom anymore. In many ways, it’s become a cultural habit.

The World We Live in Today

We live in an age of distraction and instant gratification. With a tap of the phone, you can scroll, shop, binge-watch, or play a game — all of which provide temporary comfort and escape. While technology has its benefits, it also means that avoiding discomfort has never been easier. Why face a difficult task or sit with uneasy emotions when there’s always a quick distraction available?

For clients with anxiety, this cultural backdrop makes avoidance feel even more natural. They’re not only avoiding the thing that triggers their phobia — they’re also surrounded by a world that rewards “checking out” and numbing discomfort. Over time, avoidance starts to feel like the only strategy.

Why Avoidance Feels So Powerful

The psychology is simple: avoidance provides immediate relief. When someone avoids a feared situation — whether it’s getting into an elevator, going to the dentist, or giving a presentation — the anxiety drops instantly. The brain registers this as a “success,” reinforcing the avoidance behavior.

Unfortunately, that success is short-lived. The phobia remains, often intensifies, and spreads into other parts of life. A client who avoids flying may also start to avoid long car trips. Someone afraid of social judgment might stop going to parties — and later struggle even in smaller conversations. Avoidance shrinks a person’s world until their life revolves around fear management.

Bridging the Gap with Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy has long been the gold standard for treating phobias and anxiety disorders. The principle is straightforward: gradually face the feared situation until the brain learns it’s not as dangerous as it feels. Over time, this reduces avoidance and builds confidence.

But in practice, exposure therapy has its challenges. Clients often resist facing their fears head-on. For clinicians, arranging in vivo exposures can be time-consuming, impractical, or costly. This is where technology offers a bridge.

How VR Makes Exposure More Accessible

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) provides a middle ground between avoidance and real-world exposure. Clients can confront their fears in a controlled, safe, and private environment. For example, instead of avoiding heights altogether, they can “stand” on a virtual balcony or climb a snowy ridgeline. Instead of canceling a flight, they can practice sitting in a virtual airplane cabin.

VR helps bypass the initial resistance to exposure by offering a less intimidating starting point. And crucially, it fits into the modern lifestyle. Clients who are used to quick, on-demand solutions find VR both approachable and familiar. With self-guided sessions, they can pause, repeat, and gradually build tolerance at their own pace.

Why This Matters for Clinicians

For clinicians, VR offers a practical tool to break the cycle of avoidance. Instead of battling resistance to exposure, you can introduce it in a way that feels safer and more accessible for clients. It allows you to bridge the gap between the culture of avoidance we live in and the therapeutic process clients need.

Research backs this up: VRET has been shown to be as effective as traditional exposure therapy for specific phobias and social anxiety. And importantly, it can help clients begin engaging with exposure earlier, making therapy more efficient and outcomes more sustainable.

Moving Beyond Avoidance

Avoidance may feel like the easier option in the moment — and in today’s world, it’s reinforced at every turn. But lasting recovery requires facing fears, not running from them. As clinicians, you play a vital role in helping clients take that step.

By integrating tools like VR exposure into your practice, you can make that step feel less overwhelming. You’re not just offering treatment — you’re providing a bridge between the culture of avoidance and the path to resilience.