Can virtual reality exposure therapy gains be generalized to real-life? A meta-analysis of studies applying behavioral assessments

Clinical Virtual Reality tools to advance the prevention, assessment, and treatment of PTSD

“…VR also provides an objective and consistent format for documenting the sensory stimuli that the patient is exposed to that is not possible when operating within the unseen world of the patient’s imagination. Previous success in similarly using VRET for persons with other anxiety disorders, such as specific phobias, has been documented in multiple independent meta-analyses and reviews of the literature (Morina et al, 2015; Opriş et al, 2012; Parsons & Rizzo, 2008; Powers and Emmelcamp, 2008). Multiple studies report positive outcomes using VRET with non-OEF/OIF PTSD clients (i.e.…”

“…Although in recent times the popular media has lavishly reported on VR’s potential impact on all elements of our evolving digital culture, and has created the impression that VR is a novel technology, the reality is that VR is not a new concept, and many of its developmental roots are traceable to the 1980s and 1990s (Schnipper et al, 2015). Moreover, since the 1990s a significant scientific literature has evolved, almost under the radar, reporting many positive outcomes across a range of clinical applications that have leveraged the assets provided by VR (Botella, Serrano, Baños, & García-Palacios, 2015; Dascal et al, 2017; Freeman et al, 2017; Hoffman et al, 2011; Howard, 2017; Maples-Keller, Yasinski, Manjin, & Rothbaum, 2017; Morina, Ijntema, Meyerbröker, & Emmelkamp, 2015; Rizzo, 1994; Rizzo et al, 2006; Rizzo, Buckwalter, & van der Zaag, 2002, 2015a; Rizzo et al, 2010, in press, 2017, 2015b; Slater & Sanchez-Vives, 2016). Within that context, the present paper will summarize the ways that researchers and clinicians have employed VR to create relevant simulations that can be applied to the prevention, assessment, and treatment of PTSD.…”

“…This recognition of the potential impact of VR technology has led to the emergence of a significant, albeit still maturing, research literature that documents the many clinical and research targets where VR can add value relative to traditional assessment and intervention methods. A short list of the areas where Clinical VR has been usefully applied includes fear reduction in persons with specific phobias (Morina et al, 2015; Opris et al, 2012; Parsons & Rizzo, 2008; Powers & Emmelkamp, 2008), treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (Beidel, Frueh, Neer, & Lejuez, 2017; Botella et al, 2015; Difede & Hoffman, 2002; Difede et al, 2007, 2014; Maples-Keller et al, 2017; McLay et al, 2011; Rizzo et al, 2010, 2013, 2017; Rothbaum, Hodges, Ready, Graap, & Alarcon, 2001; Rothbaum et al, 2014), cue-exposure for addiction and relapse prevention (Hone-Blanchet, Wensing, & Fecteau, 2014; Yoon et al, 2014), depression (Falconer et al, 2016), paranoid delusions (Freeman et al, 2016), discomfort reduction in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (Schneider, Kisby, & Flint, 2010), acute pain reduction during wound care and physical therapy with burn patients (Hoffman et al, 2011), other painful procedures (Gold et al, 2006; Mosadeghi, Reid, Martinez, Rosen, & Spiegel, 2016), body image disturbances in patients with eating disorders (Riva, 2011), navigation and spatial training in children and adults with motor impairments (John, Pop, Day, Ritsos, & Headleand, 2017), functional skill training and motor rehabilitation in patients with central nervous system dysfunction (e.g. stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.)…”

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety of Software Engineers Using Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

“…However, VRET uses immersion to confront patients with their anxiety in safe and gradual manner. Hence, the patients to more easily realize the difference between non-threatening and threat-related stimuli [34,35].…”

Head-Mounted Virtual Reality and Mental Health: Critical Review of Current Research (Preprint)

“…VR would remain as a simulation tool for physicians and surgeons but its interactive nature makes it an applicable tool for behavioural change. The adaptability of virtual worlds means contextually relevant virtual worlds can be created that are used to enable systematic exposure to feared stimuli [9]. The ability to precisely control stimuli has allowed VR ecological validity in its assessment of behaviours, emotions and cognitions [10].…”