What is
Virtual Reality?
It is a dynamic environment created by technology that evokes a sense of immersion in the user. It's an experience comparable to real life generating emotions, thoughts & similar reactions.
Two basic concepts of VR
The sense of immersion is when external stimuli become no longer important, because we are so focused on a particular storyline or elements during either a movie or book, or in this case, VR session.
The sense of presence is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. What you see or hear in VR is hardly indistinguishable from reality. The perception is created by surrounding the user involved in the VR session with images, sounds or other stimuli for a complete, engrossing environment.
30 Years of Scientific Research
Research and scientific papers on the validation of virtual reality in therapy have grown exponentially. 30 years of scientific studies support results obtained from using this technology when treating multiple disorders.
What can you do with VR?
Virtual reality lets you develop techniques including:
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Integrating breathing - relaxation techniques
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Learning healthy coping mechanisms for anxiogenic situations or moments of stress
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Improving social skills
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Strengthening attentional focus and memory
Virtual reality helps treat specific mental health conditions, such as:
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Specific Phobias (Flying, Heights, Claustrophobia etc.)
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Generalized Anxiety
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Social anxiety
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Panic attacks
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Agoraphobia
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Stress
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Depression
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Sleeping problems
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
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Addictive Disorders
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Eating Disorders
Virtual Reality Benefits
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Accelerates therapeutic processes. The primary benefit is that you will notice improvements faster than with traditional therapies.
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Eliminates imagination effort requirement. Imagination abilities can vary from one person to another. Imagining specific situations can cause individuals to make much effort while only achieving mild results in many cases.
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Allows for customized sessions. A therapist can adapt the environments to your needs and the stage in which you find yourself in the therapy process.
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Provides greater privacy. With traditional techniques like in vivo exposure therapy, you undergo a gradual physical exposure to your feared stimuli in due time. This often means that you must leave your therapist’s office to go outside. However, VR lets you remain in a safe and private space with your specialist.
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Results as less intrusive. Numerous scientific studies have shown that patients prefer VR therapy to traditional techniques, because in vivo exposure can sometimes seem overly intense.