Virtual reality can be found in our everyday lives. It’s in the military to prepare with simulations and formulate strategies. It’s in healthcare for professionals to practice certain surgeries without running the risk of endangering patients. It’s even common in video games. Now, we can add yet another application to the list - PTSD therapy.
VIRTUAL REALITY
for people with PTSD WRITTEN BY ANVITHA MATTAPALLI EDITED BY HARVI KARATHA & SHOFFANA SUNDARAMOORTHY LAYOUT BY INCHARA J ART BY SAHITHI LINGAMPALLI
Firstly, what is PTSD? PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, recovery may be difficult. PTSD is a disorder that can result from this. The person relives the event in their daily lives or through nightmares. They may try to avoid places that trigger memories of the traumatic event. PTSD is commonly treated with medication or cognitive behavioral therapy. Recently, virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has become popular as well. VRET has been used in the past for other mood and anxiety disorders, but this marks the first time it is being used for PTSD.
In order to understand how virtual reality exposure therapy works, we need to dive into exposure therapy. When people with PTSD avoid their fears and/or remembering the event, it can cause their PTSD to become more severe. Doing so also prevents them from learning about the situation. For
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