Treatment of Tunnel Phobia: An Experimental Field Study

Abstract

The opening of the deepest undersea tunnel in the world (264 m below sea level, 5600 m in length) replaced the ferry from the island of Hitra to the mainland in Norway. This event provoked phobic anxiety for traveling through the undersea tunnel in a number of individuals in the area. A treatment program for tunnel phobia was designed to test whether such a phobia could be mitigated by procedures previously proven effective in the treatment of other phobias. The program was presented to 18 persons with a specific phobia for tunnels and included a general discussion on the construction of undersea tunnels, given by an engineer from the tunnel construction company, and on phobic anxiety. It further consisted of gradual exposure to the tunnel in situ. Treatment effects were strong. All patients were able to travel on their own by car through the tunnel after the treatment. Their somatic complaints and phobic thoughts related to the tunnel were substantially reduced, and their mastery of tunnel driving was convincingly increased compared with the wait-list reference group.

Keywords:

• field research
• habituation
• phobia
• stepwise
• exposure.

Acknowledgments

The planning and execution of this project were supported by the Norwegian Road Authority in Sör-Tröndelag County, by Norwegian Research Council Project Number 102257/320, and by the Medical Faculty of the University of Trondheim. The authors thankfully acknowledge Hans Petter Skau, Håkon Stenmark, and Sidsel Myhr Rishaug for running the treatment and administration of the trial.