Mental health is the foundation of well-being and effective functioning for the individual and for the community. But with today’s pace of life, very often our mental health suffers. We face burnouts at work, disagreements in the family or with friends…
Sometimes the solution is simple: you just need to relax, unwind, travel or just go shopping. Or unite with nature. For example, order a bench in dubai made of natural materials from an outdoor furniture store and enjoy the birds singing oк clouds running in the sky. Such leisure without extra troubles can relieve fatigue, soothe and relax, and also inspire creativity and productivity. And as a bonus – you have a great piece of outdoor furniture set in your garden from the best outdoor furniture provider.
But sometimes that’s not enough. Then VR technologies can come to the rescue. Virtual reality technologies today are no longer limited to entertainment. Today we’ll talk about how VR helps to boost mental health, treat phobias and fight depression.
How does virtual therapy work?
First of all, VR technology has found application in diagnostics. Tests have been developed that, using virtual or augmented reality, can detect Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other pathologies.
The next step, of course, was the adaptation of technology for the rehabilitation of people suffering from balance and spatial orientation disorders.
Naturally, scientists went further. Thus, the idea was born to treat mental disorders with innovative methods. Therapy allows you to deal with phobias, traumatic disorders, depression and addictions.
VR therapy is based on modeling and interpreting traumatic situations together with the attending physician. The reconstruction of such events in a real situation plays an important role, but sometimes it is difficult to implement or even dangerous. The virtual environment, due to its high plausibility, allows the patient to meet with the source of fear and at the same time maintain complete control over the situation. Which, in turn, gives skills and tools for further, already independent struggle with negative reactions.
Thus, similar solutions appeared to combat depression, insomnia and other disorders.
So, with the help of a VR headset and special software, they can make short virtual trips, excursions to various places. And for those who have experienced symptoms of social anxiety, there is a series of VR treatment sessions. The subjects must learn to interact with society in a virtual space that simulates a street, bus, cafe or supermarket. Throughout the study, participants keep diaries where they record the changes that occur to them after unusual therapies.
The principle of VR technologies in psychotherapy is as follows: people usually avoid situations in which they feel insufficiently protected. Virtual reality, on the other hand, allows you to immerse yourself in the situation and learn to control your anxiety and negative emotions, while guaranteeing the patient complete safety.
VR technology is also effective in combating sleep problems that are increasingly troubling modern man.
Developers from the University of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) offer the Inter-Dream device, which integrates ambient music and kaleidoscopic visual effects, controlled by the patient’s brain waves through electroencephalography (EEG).
In the Inter-Dream machine, colors are coordinated with different brain waves and can change depending on brain activity. As a result, color patterns are generated that constantly change in shape and color. Depending on the activity of the brain, the color brightness of the image also changes, which will help calm the person and help them fall asleep. The device uses the principle of neurofeedback, which will help the patient to regulate their psychological state.
Please, remember that virtual reality is not a panacea, but only one of the methods, which has its own side effects and contraindications. The virtual environment cannot completely replace a qualified doctor, so you need to use such services only under the supervision of a specialist.