Short-term Anxiety Treatment using Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy
Westside Psychological Services is pleased to offer short-term CBT therapy for anxiety utilizing Virtual Reality!
This state-of-the-art, evidence-based therapeutic approach is backed by more than 25 years of scientific research.*
What Should I Expect During A VR Session?
Frequently Asked Questions about VR
Source: Amelia
Many people with mental conditions tend to prefer VR interventions because in vivo exposure can be too intense (Garcia-Palacios et al., 2007). VR gives your therapist more control of the environment to which you are exposed so that the level of exposure adjusts to and fits your needs and the intervention process.
Also, VR therapy respects your confidentiality, being that you won’t need to leave your therapist’s office like in cases of real-life exposure.
Is VR more effective than traditional techniques?
More than a decade of controlled studies have shown the effectiveness and efficiency of VR-based therapies intervention on mental disorders, especially anxiety and specific phobias. Its level of clinical effectiveness is higher than the traditional imagination exposure technique. It is also as effective as in vivo exposure. (Opris et al., 2012; Meyerbröker et al., 2010; Parsons et al., 2008; Emmelkamp et al., 2002).
However, using VR does not mean completely forgoing other approaches. Quite the contrary. Both VR technology and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can enhance the effects of standard intervention.
Is VR like playing a video game?
Yes and no.
On one hand, like video games, VR finds stronger appeal in people who engage their imagination to the furthest extent possible during sessions. Using your imagination can help foster a sense of immersion. VR has been shown to work well with children for just this reason.
On the other hand, though, VR is different from video games in that its unique technological capacity helps enhance the sense of presence. In other words, when you use this technology, your ability to distinguish between the virtual world and reality could become negligible (Jose Gutiérrez Maldonado, 2002).
Can I expect quick results with VR?
Results obtained from any line of therapy will differ from one case to the next. Depending on the condition that you have, you may need more or less VR therapy sessions. Your therapist will help determine the number of sessions.
In comparison with the traditional imaginative techniques, VR delivers quicker results because not everybody has the same imagination capacity. Also, VR reduces logistic time and costs associated with in vivo exposure. This means that you don’t need to step out of your therapist’s office to be exposed to the stimuli of which you are afraid. (Maldonado, 2002).
Can VR be a Substitute for Real-Life Experiences?
Various studies have shown that VR can promote a sense of presence and trigger bodily responses similar to in vivo exposure (Morina, N. et al., 2015). These reactions will help your therapist to work through them in sessions without the need for you to be placed in or exposed to an actual, high-risk scenario.
What issues can short-term CBT virtual reality therapy help with?
Anyone suffering from fear or anxiety around:
It can also be used to practice mindfulness, relaxation, for education, and attention training.
How do I sign up for this 8-12 week treatment?
Ask your WPS Clinician if short-term CBT anxiety VR Therapy is an option for you!
