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The researchers said people who had been living with fear of heights for decades became less scared after virtual reality therapy (VR).
A specialized team of psychologists and computer experts tested confirmed acrophobes in a series of virtual reality simulations, after which everyone reported "a reduction in fear," they said.
The team concluded that VR-based treatments "have the potential to dramatically increase treatment for mental health disorders."
With a virtual "coach" to guide patients through treatment, the new method could offer an inexpensive way to provide care to people who can not afford or do not have access to a therapist in their care. face to face.
The VR coach uses the recorded voice of an actor.
Fear of heights, the most common phobia, affects one in five people at some point in their lives, according to researchers who published their findings The Lancet Psychiatry medical journal. Most never receive treatment.
For the last study, the team recruited 100 volunteers. Half received VR treatment and the other half not, to allow comparison.
It was the first VR phobia treatment not to require the presence of a real-life therapist, the team said.
"We designed the treatment to be as imaginative, entertaining, and easy to navigate as possible," said study leader Daniel Freeman of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University.
Wearing goggles and tactile gloves while staying safe on firm ground, patients moved into a three-dimensional world centered on the massive atrium of a ten-story computerized office building.
Pre-recorded 30-minute program sessions ran automatically, with the virtual coach explaining what participants should do. Tasks consisted of crossing a wobbly bridge, rescuing a cat from a tree, performing tasks near the edge of a balcony and mounting a flying whale.
The results after several sessions exceeded the expectations of the researchers. According to self-reported comments, "more than three-quarters of participants receiving VR treatments showed at least a halve of their fear of heights," Freeman said. – AFP Relaxnews
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