Posts Tagged ‘Cognitive Behavior Therapy’

Virtual Therapist

Welcome to Virtual Therapist. Who says that therapy can only be gotten in real life. More and more, especially as the Internet continues to become social in nature, therapists have taken to the web in order to provide virtual therapy services. This is our attempt to share what we have found with you. Virtual Therapist gathers together informative therapy articles, educational virtual therapist videos, and lively dialogue and chatter about all kinds of therapy in general and virtual therapy in particular. Virtual reality therapy uses virtual reality technology to treat patients with anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, and several other medical phobias. Newer technology also allows for the treatment of addictions.

Virtual therapy uses computers with visual immersion devices and artificially created environments to give the patient a simulated experience for diagnosing and treating psychological conditions that cause patients difficulty. Since reaction to the hazards of the environment, such as heights, speaking in public, flying, close spaces, and the like are usually triggered by visual and auditory stimuli, virtual therapy is a means to reproduce or simulate such stimuli in order for the virtual therapist to observe and measure the patient’s reaction and then provide appropriate treatment.

Unlike traditional discussion sessions with psychologists and/or psychiatrists, called cognitive behavior therapy, such treatment may involve adjusting the virtual environment, such as for example adding controlled intensity smells or adding and adjusting vibrations, and allow the therapist to uncover the “triggers” for each patient’s reaction.

Virtual therapy has the great advantage that while the patient experiences the perceived “dangerous” stimuli, the patient knows he or she is actually quite safe in a VRT lab. This allows the patient to confront situations and achieve virtual victories that build self efficacy and the confidence that comes from mastering situations that the patient previously could not confront in real life.

Virtual therapy has great promise since it historically produces a “cure” about 90% of the time at about half the cost of traditional cognitive behavior therapy, and is especially promising as a treatment for post tramatic stress disorder, where there are simply not enough psychologists and psychiatrists to treat all the veterans with anxiety disorders diagnosed as related to their military service.

Thanks for visiting Virtual Therapist. Also, please check out the two new sections we have recently added to Virtual Therapist – “Ask the Experts” for answers to common questions about virtual therapy, as well as the fast paced z “Blogette“.        

Brief Interruption. Need a Vacation? Click here…