Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy | Center for Cognitive Growth

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Anxiety, Phobias & PTSD in Chester & Springfield–Westfield, NJ

At Center for Cognitive Growth, we combine cutting-edge technology with compassionate care to help clients overcome anxiety, phobias, and trauma in a safe, controlled way. Our Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)program allows you to face your fears gradually, whether that’s public speaking, driving, flying, social situations, or medical procedures, without ever leaving the therapy room.

Virtual reality helps the brain relearn safety, turning what once triggered fear into confidence and calm. When paired with biofeedback, VRET has a 92% success rate in eliminating phobias within 10-12 sessions!

What Is Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy?

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy is an evidence-based treatment that uses immersive 3-D environments to safely simulate anxiety-provoking situations while you remain fully supported by a licensed psychologist.
By combining exposure therapy (a gold-standard approach for anxiety) with VR technology, clients can practice coping skills in realistic but controlled environments—building confidence and emotional regulation faster than with traditional talk therapy alone.

Research shows VRET can be highly effective for:

Social anxiety and public speaking fears
Specific phobias (flying, heights, driving, elevators, needles, animals, storms, etc.)
Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
Health-related anxieties and panic attacks
Agoraphobia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Our Expert Approach

At Center for Cognitive Growth, your VRET program begins with a comprehensive intake and assessment to understand your triggers, history, and goals. Following the intake, a psychophysiological assessment is performed to measure the intensity of your body's stress response.

We then design a personalized VR exposure hierarchy using our advanced headset system integrated with biofeedback and heart-rate monitoring to track your physiological response in real time.

Each session includes:

Biofeedback guided relaxation training before exposure
Step-by-step virtual environments that match your anxiety level
Real-time support and coaching from Dr. Andrew Lima
Post-session debrief and grounding techniques to reinforce safety

This combination of VR, biofeedback, and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) allows clients to make rapid progress in a fraction of the time of traditional exposure methods.

Why Choose Center for Cognitive Growth?

Unlike large clinics or apps offering generic VR programs, our approach is fully clinician-guided, customized, and integrated into your overall treatment plan. Dr. Lima combines expertise in psychology, neurofeedback, and hypnosis to address both the brain and body’s response to fear.

Our practice is one of the few in New Jersey offering VRET alongside qEEG brain mapping, neurofeedback, and biofeedback, creating a comprehensive, data-driven pathway to emotional healing. With offices in Chester and Springfield–Westfield, we proudly serve clients from Morris, Union, and Somerset counties, as well as those traveling from Manhattan for specialized care.

I Have a VR Headset at Home — Can’t We Just Do It from Home?

It’s a great question, and one we hear often! While at-home VR headsets are amazing for relaxation or mindfulness apps, true Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) requires far more than a headset. Our system uses clinical-grade software, only available to licensed clinicians, integrated with biofeedback and AI, allowing us to precisely measure and adjust your physiological responses in real time — something home systems can’t do. This ensures that each exposure is paced correctly, safe, and therapeutically effective.

Equally important, you’re not alone in the process. Dr. Lima provides moment-to-moment guidance, helping you manage anxiety responses and reinforcing coping skills as they happen. This live coaching and adjustment are what make exposure therapy effective, and prevent retraumatization or avoidance behaviors that can occur in unsupervised environments.

So while home VR can be a fun complement for relaxation or stress relief, clinical VR exposure therapy delivers measurable, lasting results because it’s supervised, data-driven, and personalized to your exact fears and progress.

Book A Free 15-Minute Consultation

1 Mill Ridge Rd. Suite 203

Chester, NJ 07930

201-212-5049

DrLima@centerforcongitivegrowth.com