Virtual reality is helping to treat mental health conditions including anxiety
Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to change treatments for mental diseases such as anxiety and depression, such as ketamine therapy.
Millions of lives in the US are impacted by mental illnesses. The following horrific picture is painted by the statistics from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention: About 20% of people in the US have a mental illness; the number is much greater for those who are within the ages of 13 and 18.
Given the surprising frequency of mental health issues, VR offers innovative ways to mental health care and management. Recent research indicates that virtual reality (VR) may have uses in the treatment of PTSD, illnesses linked to stress, and issues with body image. It may be utilised in trauma-focused therapy, social skills education, and mindfulness training.
Virtual reality (VR) may help extend the brain’s neuroplasticity window and boost its receptivity to mindfulness and relaxation practices, which may result in positive feelings and behaviours, according to Shel Mann, co-founder and CEO of FireflyVR, who spoke with Business Insider.
Mann claims that the institution’s study suggests that biophysical signal measurements—like a person’s pulse rate variability and eye gaze—can be included into immersive VR apps to enhance outcomes. The ability to accurately measure users’ emotions and worries via physiological responses has the potential to significantly improve therapy effectiveness.
Director of Innovation at Stella Mental Health Clinic Dr. Christopher Romig uses FireflyVR to help patients feel less anxious before starting an intravenous ketamine infusion therapy. It is used to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD, among other mental health conditions. He told BI that the use of ketamine in combination with VR-guided therapy enhances neural connection during optimal brain-receptivity moments by helping to relax patients.
Romig claims that using virtual reality in treatment sessions might be an enjoyable technique to improve a patient’s relaxation and cooperation. Before beginning a ketamine session, patients need to put aside whatever stress they may be experiencing from their daily lives. VR, intention-setting, and breath exercises are all helpful in assisting ketamine in creating pleasant, healing routes, the doctor said.
He uses FireflyVR-powered The Sanctuary, an educational VR experience that uses cognitive-behavioral therapy to reduce anxiety among patients before ketamine administration.
Before starting ketamine treatment, patients, according to Romig, enter a virtual environment where they are taught about ritualistic respiration, letting go, making goals, and cultivating optimism.
Romig claims that he employs it to help his patients feel at ease. Because it has so many uses, he believes that VR, together with AI and biofeedback techniques, will become more prevalent in the field of mental health.
Given the state of mental health treatment in the US, inventive remedies are necessary. It is general knowledge, according to Mann, that there is an acute scarcity of therapists.
The Sanctuary’s addiction treatment programme was altered by the Veterans Affairs department. According to Mann, this represented just one possible application for the innovation. He said that when employing VR, users find themselves in an immersive world, which may truly fool the brain.
By teaching users breathing techniques and meditation, The Sanctuary allows licenced therapists to focus more on the specifics of their patients’ medical problems.