Against dizziness, against phobias or, more prosaically, to watch a fashion show, virtual reality headsets occupy more and more the media scene as their fields of application seem infinite. The latest proof is given by British researchers at the University College of London: virtual reality could be used as therapy for treat depressive symptoms.
Appeared in the review British Journal of Psychiatry Open, the work reports the immersion experience of 15 patients diagnosed with depression. With a virtual reality headset screwed onto their head, each patient was first confronted with their adult “avatar” who exactly reproduced their bodily movements. This process of personification or self-identification was then followed by the projection in a mirror of a crying child. Patients were asked to comfort and console the crying child by saying compassionate phrases to him. They told him, for example, to remember when he was happy and when he felt loved.
More compassion and less self-criticism
In a second phase, the roles changed: the patient was “embodied” in the crying child avatar. So it was he who received the comforting words to calm his sadness.
Each patient followed this therapy in the form of three 45-minute virtual reality sessions.
Summary of the experience: after one month, the patients reported fewer symptoms of depression.
British researchers assure that virtual reality constitutes a serious therapeutic avenue for treating depression. How? ‘Or’ What? By playing on compassion and urging to be more forgiving and understanding towards oneself: “In this study, by comforting the child and hearing his own words, the patients indirectly sent each other compassion. to teach patients to be more compassionate and less critical of themselves, ”concludes Prof Brewin, author of the study, quoted by the BBC.
Read also: Alzheimer’s: a virtual reality test to predict the disease from 30 years old
Alcoholism soon to be treated by virtual reality
