Virtual Reality (VR)
How to explore your imagination by immersing yourself in a secure virtual environment over which you have control and which will allow you to improve your well-being and reduce invasive symptoms.
What are the different disorders treated by VR?
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ANXIETY DISORDERS,
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PHOBIA: SOCIAL, SCHOOL, AEROPHOBIA (FEAR OF FLYING), FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, FEAR OF DRIVING, AGORAPHOBIA (FEAR OF HEIGHTS), CLAUSTROPHOBIA (FEAR OF ENCLOSED SPACES), ETC.
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POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER,
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EATING BEHAVIOR AND SELF-IMAGE DISORDERS,
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ADDICTIVE DISORDERS,
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ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDERS WITH OR WITHOUT HYPERACTIVITY (ADD/ADHD)
PROCEDURE
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An prior interview is necessary to determine if this type of therapy is adequate for the patient and adapted to his needs.
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Once determined, the procedure is simple: the patient is in the office with the therapist, or at home in video conference with the latter.
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She will choose from her computer, thanks to the AMELIA VIRTUAL CARE platform, an environment related to the problem to be treated.
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The patient will put on the virtual reality headset and the session will begin. The patient will find him/herself in total immersion in this environment. The therapist can communicate with him/her orally or in writing. The patient will see the questions on his/her screen and will be able to answer them orally or with the help of the headset.
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It will be possible to measure the patient's stress level also thanks to an electrodermal response sensor that adapts to the patient's fingers to measure the sweat response (i.e. the galvanic response of the skin) during the sessions. . This measures the patient's state of stress.
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During the session, the therapist notes the triggers of stress or anxiety, but also the situations that will create negative and positive emotions and responses, and both with the patient, solutions to overcome the fears will be found. Relaxation techniques and mindful meditation may be used. An in-depth analysis of all these elements and data can lead to rapid and lasting well-being.
The duration of the session may vary. It takes between 20min to an hour.
In the office, the therapist provides the material. In video consultation, the patient will need to have purchased a phone support googles and will have to download a free application. The therapist will provide him/her with personalized and secure PIN code to access the environment.
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ENVIRONMENTS
VIDEOS
THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES
Virtual reality (VR) therapy is based on exposure techniques from experimental psychology. They are founded on a habituation mechanism leading to desensitization. It's getting the patient to experience the reduction of his anxiety by confronting the "problem stimulus" other than by avoiding it. Indeed, avoidance relieves anxiety in the short term but reinforces it in the long term. This exposure is generally done gradually and can be real "in vivo" or imaginary. In the context of VR, it is, as its name suggests, virtual, but the environment can be similar to the real world. Professional support is always necessary, as a first step, to help the patient to overcome his fears or anxiety, understand them and learn to deal with them. Exposure therapy has been the subject of several studies proving its effectiveness in improving symptoms. This backed by cognitive therapies.
IN THE PRESS
