The Virtual reality Is a new technology that allows the professional to create a cybernetic space where the patient can interact with different simulated objects or characters virtually.
It would be like an interface created where the person is immersed in a 3D simulation that has been generated by computer and where it can interact in real way in real time.
In this way, the simulated environment pretends to substitute reality and the person has the sensation of being inside that artificial world.
In Virtual Reality the person has the feeling that he is physically in the environment that is being generated virtually and can interact with him in real time.
It can be considered as a kind of"laboratory"where one can study the behavior, thoughts and emotions of the person and can be useful in some aspects of methodological dysfunctional character in some psychological experiments.
The three fundamental characteristics of Virtual Reality are: real-time possibility, complete immersion where the contact with reality is lost and the interaction with the elements.
The term was coined in 1986 by Jaron Lanier.
The difference between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
It is important to learn to distinguish between Virtual Reality, which is what we are concerned with, and Augmented Reality.
The latter involves introducing into the real world virtual elements. For this, different images, objectives or virtual situations are created that are included within the real world.
In this way, you see the real world but at the same time are also included those elements created by cybernetics. Obviously, it is based on the sense that it has to be useful to the patient.
It is different because in Virtual Reality the context or situation permeates the whole experience of the subject, so that all their perceptual channels are placed in it. It is their reality.
However, in the case of Augmented Reality the experience that the subject lives through the inclusion of virtual elements complements the actual experience that is also happening, that is, the true reality.
The Virtual Reality in Psychology
The reason why more and more new technologies and virtual reality are used in particular in Psychology, is because they are proposed as a tool to develop and benefit people in any area of their lives.
New technologies reach every corner of our lives. The first platforms that were created of Virtual Reality did it for big industries that wanted to design scenarios for professionals where they could be trained in different situations.
The first designs in psychology with Virtual Reality were for anxiety disorders. When its efficacy was verified against control groups, it was proposed to extend the range to more complex disorders.
Specifically, the first study of Virtual Reality in psychological disorders focused on acrophobia, exposing the person to virtual situations that caused anxiety.
Its use is even more important if we take into account that Virtual Reality is often presented as an effective alternative for the treatment of disorders in which traditional techniques were ineffective.
In addition, exposure to imagination, for example, also brings advantages, since there are individual differences in imagination (people who have more difficulties) and provides a sense of presence that does not give the imagination.
Applications of Virtual Reality in psychological disorders
We have already commented previously that Virtual Reality has been developed for different areas of psychology.
With regard to clinical psychology and psychological disorders, different systems have been developed using new technologies to improve the health status of people and thus help professionals in psychology in treatment.
A) Anxiety disorders
For anxiety disorders, one of the most effective treatments is exposure, that is, to address gradually and systematically what the subject fears.
However, some patients abandon this treatment or reject it because, for example, it is too aversive for them, so that we find a group of patients with difficulties to intervene.
The Virtual Reality allows to intervene in patients with anxiety disorders in a virtual environment, so that the person can interact with this space and with the objects in the same way with which it could do it in a real environment.
And so, since they are not the"real"dreaded objects or situations, patients who do not accept the exposure can accept this way of dealing with them.
Different studies argue that many people prefer exposure in virtual environments rather than actual exposure or in vivo.
In this way, Virtual Reality has been used before, for example, phobia of spiders, phobia to fly, claustrophobia or agoraphobia.
In 1998 (Botella et al, 2007) they designed the first treatment for claustrophobia, and later they succeeded others where they put different scenarios as a room with windows that opened and closed, another room without windows or an elevator.
For example, in the case of agoraphobia, different typical agoraphobic situations were designed, such as the subway or shopping mall, while at the same time simulating interoceptive experiences.
We can conclude, therefore, that Virtual Reality has proved effective for different anxiety disorders such as fear of heights or claustrophobia, where results are maintained over time.
Also in phobia to small animals, Phobia to fly , Phobia to drive, scared to talk in public , Panic disorder Y agoraphobia .
B) Disorders of eating behavior and body image
Eating Disorders are a serious health problem. Both the Anorexia Nervosa as the Bulimia Nervosa Imply a pathological desire of the person to be thin.
In addition to Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, food simulants have also been developed for obesity and for Binge Eating Disorder .
Virtual Reality has also been working for distortions in body image. It is very useful for the distortion of people with Eating Disorders.
Different advantages are included in the use of Virtual Reality for this problem, starting with the ease of defining one's own body image construct, which is difficult to define and operate.
Through Virtual Reality, we give the person the possibility of 3D designing his own image (at the same time that the psychologist can visualize it).
The Virtual Reality allows to observe the body in its totality, where the person has it face to face, as well as evaluate it by specific body areas.
Also in the case of body image Virtual Reality has shown its effectiveness against traditional first-choice treatments of cognitive-behavioral cut.
It is effective because people with Eating Disorders feel that the computer is a"more impartial judge"and therefore, their therapeutic adherence increases and they are more inclined to accept alterations in body image.
C) Chemical and behavioral addictions
Some researchers have also made applications through Virtual Reality to work on addictions to substances such as nicotine or heroin, as well as for pathological gambling.
For example, in pathological gambling the patient accesses scenarios with related situations such as casinos, so that they can learn to control the impulse.
D) Health Psychology
Other applications of Virtual Reality focus on the field of health psychology, such as pain that is associated with some medical procedures such as burns.
E) Disorders related to stress
The use of Virtual Reality has also been used for the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder To produce traumatic events for the person such as war fighters or the terrorist attacks of September 11 with results that show that it could be useful for the reduction of symptoms.
Also for adaptive disorders or pathological grief could be helpful. In both cases they are people with complicated life situations that they have not been able to solve.
F) Some disorders of childhood
For example, some virtual worlds have been designed for Autism Spectrum Disorder and also for evaluating and treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) .
G) Sexual disorders
For example, some researchers have reported on the development of Virtual Reality from the psychoanalytic erectile dysfunction And premature ejaculation and report good results with maintenance of achievements at 6 months.
Advantages of virtual reality
The Virtual Reality offers some advantages over other techniques such as, as we mentioned in an earlier section, in vivo exposure:
1. Many people prefer the Virtual Reality to expose themselves before exposure in vivo, which would allow to act with those patients who do not adhere to the therapy for this type of inconveniences.
2. Also, Virtual Reality allows to repeat as many times as necessary the task to be performed without modifying any of its parameters, since they are controlled artificially.
3. The situations can be graded more. It allows graduating the object in a very precise way taking into account the individual differences of the patients and designing everything to their measure.
4. To make an exhibition, it is not necessary to access other spaces and it can be done in the consultation or place where the psychotherapy is being carried out (for example, in the case of phobia to fly, it would not be necessary to fly).
5. It favors ethical aspects, since not leaving the consultation guarantees its right to privacy.
6. It favors the motivation for therapeutic adherence in many cases, such as, for example, in Eating Disorders. In these cases patients feel more secure in virtual environments and their motivation to psychotherapy increases.
7. It can be used in problems that could not be treated in another way (for example, in the case of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, where it can not be returned to the situation).
8. In addition to asking the person what happens to them, we can obtain information by visualizing in the first person what happens when the person is in the problematic moment.
9. The control of the situation, since the therapist knows at all times what happens, the elements that the patient faces, what disturbs him...
10. Allows the person to feel competent. It gives a lot of information about personal efficacy. It is so flexible that it allows you to create different scenarios where you can develop your own expectations.
11. It allows you to perform a certain behavior without waiting for it to occur in real life (for example, speaking at a hearing).
12. It allows to create situations that go beyond one's reality to facilitate learning.
In addition, research has shown that Virtual Reality treatments are more effective than controls and are equally effective than the first-choice treatment, ie in vivo exposure.
Does Virtual Reality have disadvantages?
Virtual Reality also has some disadvantages, such as:
1. The economic cost, since the psychotherapist needs to have technology and different virtual environments to work the different problems, which makes difficult to use in clinical practice. It is working so that in the future its cost is lower and suitable for more public.
2. Still some virtual worlds are rudimentary.
3. It can have some side effects, such as disorientation, dizziness, nausea. These are mild effects that disappear quickly. In addition, the person can take precautions such as those taken in the dizziness when traveling.
4. Further research and accumulation of data on efficacy is still needed, as well as research on many other issues.
5. Psychologists are not familiar with this technique, so if applied, they should be trained to do so.
conclusion
New information and communication technologies are seen as useful and effective tools for solving psychological problems.
They have only recently begun to develop, and are seen as the first steps in the development of future treatments.
All the advances that occur around the Virtual Reality will result in the improvement of the health of the patients and a more complete attention.
The Virtual Reality has been growing by leaps and bounds and although it is still not possible for everyone to access it, given its economic costs, as it progresses in its development will also decrease their costs and will be available to all audiences.
What is quite true is that in psychology has evolved remarkably and has proved its usefulness in numerous investigations.
And you, do you consider that Virtual Reality can be useful for dealing with psychological problems?
References
- Banos, R., Botella, C., and Perpiñá, C. (1998). Psychopathology and Virtual Reality. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Psychology, 3 (3), 161-177.
- Botella, C., Baños, R., García-Palacios, A., Quero, S., Guillén, V. and Marco, H. (2007). The use of new information and communication technologies in clinical psychology. Journal on the knowledge society, 4, 32-41.
- Botella, C., García-Palacios, A., Baños, R., and Quero, S. (2007). Virtual Reality and Psychological Treatments. Cuadernos de Medicina Psicosomatica y Psiquiatría, 82, 17-31.
- Gutiérrez Maldonado, J. (2002). Applications of virtual reality in clinical psychology. Psychiatric Medical Class, 4 (2). 92-126.
- López Hernández-Ardieta, M. (2010). Use of virtual reality in psychological practice. Electronic Research Bulletin of the Oaxacan Association of Psychology A. C., 6, (2), 161-163.
- Naranjo Omedo, V. Virtual reality at the service of social welfare. Polytechnic university of Valencia.
- Pérez Martínez, F. J. (2011). Present and future of Virtual Reality technology. Creativity and Society, XVI, 16, 1-39.
- I want, S., Botella, C., Guillén, V., Moles, M., Nebot, S., García-Palacios, A., and Baños, R. (2012). Monographic article: Virtual reality for the treatment of emotional disorders: a review. Yearbook of Clinical and Health Psychology, 8, 7-21.