How Virtual Reality will make everyone their own therapist

With the help of virtual reality (VR), people can slip into the role of the therapist - and get to know themselves better.

You take a seat in front of a long desk, the blinds are drawn. Next to you is a mirror in which you recognise yourself. Sitting in front of you is none other than Sigmund Freud. The famous psychoanalyst asks you to tell him about a problem.

Once you have finished your description, the surroundings turn black and a short time later you find yourself in the body of Sigmund Freud. You are now sitting opposite your virtual avatar, who repeats exactly what you said before. As nSigmund Freud, you give the person advice and feedback - and thus become your own psychotherapist, so to speak.

An external view can help

This scene is part of a computer-generated, virtual world and a Attempt by scientists and researchers with the aim of finding out to what extent VR can help people to overcome their own psychological problems. By using VR glasses to perceive themselves in a virtual reality as a third person from the outside, this should help people to recognise and question personal perspectives and patterns.

In fact, further studies have found that it makes a difference whether people talk to themselves in the first or second person.

This effect was also evident in the VR study with the virtual Sigmund Freud. According to the study, 80 per cent of the 29 participants stated that the experiment gave them a different feeling about their problem and that they would try to approach it differently in future. In a control group of also 29 participants, who only received a prefabricated answer from the virtual Freud after describing their problem, only 40 per cent did so.

Working through relationship conflicts

According to the scientists, it will also be possible to create other people as virtual counterparts in the future. This would make it possible, for example, to work through relationship conflicts with certain people in the virtual world, where inhibitions and social norms may play a lesser role.

However, the researchers point out that the therapy method has so far only been tried and tested for minor conflicts and not for more serious psychological problems such as depression. This will only be tested in a next step. In addition, therapy methods of this kind should always be discussed and carried out together with psychologists and psychotherapists, say experts. This is because such treatment could sometimes be dangerous for people with certain mental illnesses.B

VR is already being used in therapy in many different ways, as numerous Contributions from us.

Source: der Standart / nature