Coping with Reality Via Vir tual Reality By Honor Dodd
Imagine you have a fear of heights. Your ther apist invites you aboard a glass elevator. As you ascend, you see streets and people getting smaller, smaller, and far ther away. You feel as if you could keep soar ing far ther and far ther away from the ground. Do you panic? Do you scream? No, because you are in control. You are not r iding the elevator in real life. You are r iding it in vir tual reality. Vir tual reality (VR) has been shown to be an effective treatment for Post- Tr aumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through exposure ther apy. Exposure ther apy can be ther apeutic because it helps people with fear s, anxiety, or phobias manage and overcome them by being exposed to the fear- causing stimuli in a safe environment. We can lear n to be less afr aid when we successfully manage situations that prompt real emotions. Imagine recreating something like the chaos of a militar y situation. That is expensive and dangerous. So, researcher s and scientists have been reshaping tr aditional PTSD ther apy by capitalizing on VR?s flexibility and accessibility. Using VR, patients can be placed in any environment, and this vir tual world can be created conveniently with less expense and danger.
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