How virtual reality is being implemented in psychological therapies?

Both virtual and augmented reality have proven to be quite flexible when applied in different areas. From video games to their use in education, these technologies are gradually establishing themselves among us. However, in fields such as psychology its use is not yet fully accepted. How much could these tools change in psychological therapies?

Virtual and augmented reality are relatively new technologies among the public. While the concepts of “virtual worlds” or “3D elements” have been around for many years, it wasn’t until recently with the advent of headsets or the launch of the metaverse that they have become even more popular.

This could lead one to think that these tools have not yet been used in fields other than entertainment. However, this would be far from reality.

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“Psychology is a very traditional field made up of many professionals who still cling to classical therapies, and deny anything new in the area. That is why one can remain averse to these methods when one does not hear much about them yet. But, in reality, for more than three decades these technologies have been present in studies on mental health”indicates to Trade the dean of the Psychology Career at the Scientific University of the South, Liseth Paulett Fernández.

How do you start research to apply virtual and augmented realities as tools in psychology?

The first studies of its uses date back to the early 1990s. Among psychologists such as Barbara Rothbaum or MM North, they presented how these tools could be applied in psychology. However, it was not until the beginning of this century that it began to be officially accepted as part of the techniques that a professional can use.

“In 2000, the American Psychological Association accepted that these resources be used in patient management. The following year, a study of the use of virtual reality in users with psychological needs is validated. Despite its theoretical acceptance, it is just beginning to be applied in practice”Fernandez points out.

Liseth Paulett Fernandez, Dean of the Psychology Career at the Universidad Científica del Sur.

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The acceptance of the studies and their incorporation as an official method in the field of mental health did not completely define their adaptation to clinics. What was the reason for the delay in incorporating extended realities into psychology therapies? Iván Alsina Jurnet, psychologist and professor at the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona, ​​explains the reasons to the newspaper.

“A few years ago, psychology was still using the techniques of the 50’s or 60’s. We had no update on our methods. Many professionals were asked what technologies they knew to apply them in therapies, and almost none had an answer. This is also due to the fact that these issues were not dealt with in university education. There was no academic training to use these resources. Logically, psychologists who have already been using the same methods as 50 years ago were going to remain skeptical”.

Iván Alsina Jurnet, psychologist and professor at the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona.

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Despite this, there were advances in the technological field that led mental health experts to be interested in them, or encouraged to apply them in practice.

“When we began to investigate what benefits the tool can bring, a virtual reality headset was 10,000 or 20,000 dollars. It was not possible that, beyond the theoretical field, a psychologist could use virtual reality. The same thing happened with augmented reality. Although at that time we had mobile devices, they did not have enough support to reflect 3D objects. Now, popular headsets worth many dollars less, and smartphones with higher power and affordable prices, have appeared. This has made them more accessible to the public, and it has been possible to bring these technologies to the practical field. In addition, previously many more cables and programs were needed to use them, now it is only a wireless helmet or a tablet”, Adds Alsina.

What are psychological therapies with virtual and augmented realities?

The main objective of the use of extended realities in psychology is the generation of a series of three-dimensional environments in which the patient has the feeling of being present. The virtual experience is capable of generating in the person the same reactions and emotions that they experience in a similar situation in the real world.

Alsina comments that “This is one of the main ideas of these tools: to create emotions, reactions, thoughts that are practically the same as those that would occur in the real world. And after that, apply the most traditional techniques.”

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According to experts, it is a non-invasive technique that can be used in interventions with patients who reject certain subjects, elements or specific situations in the real world.

“The scenario that the patient rejects is recreated, all this under the gaze of the therapist. Depending on the patient’s case, the psychologist will see which tool to use. For example, in the event that the patient is afraid of spiders, it would be advisable to use augmented reality through a device such as a cell phone or tablet. This is so because it is only about introducing a virtual element in the environment. But, in the case of patients who must face specific situations: speaking in public, socializing, etc; there a virtual reality helmet would already be used. In this last example, it is about patients who must enter more complex scenarios”, explains Liseth Fernandez.

However, the work of the psychologist does not end there, since his main function is to monitor and control the responses of patients. Regarding this, Fernández explains that “andThe therapist must be monitoring the patient’s actions, and offering help mechanisms to control the problem. In this way, they are not exposed directly to the real world, but rather are helped from the virtual world so that they can later advance.either”,

In our country there is very little application of these tools in consulting. However, some psychological help centers are betting on them in sessions with patients.

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“Generally, the psychologists who bring this technology to Latin American countries are professionals who have prepared or have attended conferences in Europe, which is where technology is most talked about in psychology. Now, these initiatives are welcome because little by little, more current methods are being used”, Efraín Freyre, a psychotherapist at the Atulado clinic in Peru, tells us.

What complications could its use bring?

As with any other method in medicine or health sciences, the poorly executed or excessive use of these techniques could bring negative results to patients. Being recently applied in the practical field, virtual and augmented realities must be used with constant monitoring.

“Since its use is given in the care of post-traumatic stress and specific phobias to animals or situational scenes, etc., new scenarios are constantly recreated. Now they can be created in various programs, as long as the use in the patient is controlled. But the method alone should not be abused. Excessive use can cause headache, dizziness, vision fatigue, in some users. Even if the therapy only depends on this method, it can cause the patient to lose track of what is real and what is virtual.”, indicates Fernandez.

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That is why it is considered that these tools should not be exclusive in the practical use of a psychologist. This is how Professor Alsina explains it when he says that “If the technique is well used and there is good control by the therapist, there would be no real problem. Virtual and augmented reality are one of the many tools that can be used in psychology. It should be very clear that these realities are one more resource among the many resources that are used in therapies”.

New psychology professionals focused on technology

The increasingly frequent incorporation of technological resources in medical fields has brought a variation in professional opportunities. There are more and more frequent health specialists who have focused on building technologies in their area. Will the same thing happen with psychologists, when these new methods are standardized in the field of mental health?

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“What is usually done when using technological innovations is for clinics to turn to companies. On the one hand they buy the helmets and on the other hand they pay developers or agencies to make the 3D content. But at the end of the day, they are businesses that do not necessarily specialize in psychology or mental health. Therefore, there should always be a follow-up by the psychologist. In fact, one of the goals pursued is for psychology to have an area specialized in the manufacture of technological equipment. One of the new professional opportunities for the psychologist may be this. The new step in psychology is to train professionals who are increasingly prepared in technological management”concludes Professor Alsina.

Source: Elcomercio