Table 3.

Themes and subthemes from qualitative analysis.

Themes and subthemes		Codes
Expectations
	Doubtful	Feeling unreal, cartoonish, make-believe, no tactile stimulation, simulated, unreasonable, short duration, too simple, level of fear, duration of phobia, routines, being different, lack of expectations, avoidance.
	Hopeful	Feeling safe, easier than the real thing, less afraid, research study, cognitive behavior therapy, providing some relief.
Becoming absorbed		Surprised, engaged, better than expected, forgetting reality, forgetting it is treatment, real movements, realistic, well-done, anxious, scared, crying, scary, reacting, trying to hide, trying to avoid, being focused.
Good enough		Safer than the real thing, good that not too realistic, control.
Simplicity		Thought-through, sympathetic/empathetic, novice, pedagogical, focus, undramatic, gamification, tasks, increasingly more difficult, interaction, generational issue, being a gamer.
Psychoeducation
	Understanding your fears	Calming voice, confronting your fear, subjective units of discomfort, informative, normalizing, fears, expert, assumptions, like school, learning about phobias.
	Getting worse	Trying to avoid, negative association, increasing your fear.
Problems and glitches
	Technical issues	Visual perspectives, acuity, lack of details, menus, not real enough, getting stuck, pauses, wrong sequence, stopped working, overheated, battery issues, clumsy, computer errors, restricted movements.
	Human issues	Becoming nauseous, difficult exercises, difficult understanding, panicky, time constraints, frustration, contacts and glasses, overwhelmed, without notice, without warning.
Outcomes
	Benefits	Less anxious, less attentive to fears, continued exposure, proud, applications in real life, less worried, approaching spiders, improved, recommending treatment to others, increased knowledge, confident, quick response, not the whole world, seeing things differently, daring, significant others.
	Obstacles	Expensive equipment, more information needed, more exercise needed, doing it again, still scared, wrong season.