Alternate Reality From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider Special Edition - 05/13/2009 Mental health therapists and social workers at the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, CA, are using a virtual reality program to treat service members who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning from combat. The virtual reality software, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Application for Post Traumatic Stress, includes a motion-inducing platform, headphones, a cued-smells generator, a mock M-16 with directional controls/game controller, and a virtual reality visor to help veterans relive their situation. The system lets warriors re- experience their event under the supervision of a mental health expert and in the safety of a controlled setting in a hospital. On average, patients are seen once a week by their therapists and use the virtual reality system about 10-12 times for 60 minutes each time at the medical center. Before any patient is placed in the system, the patient would have had several visits with the therapist. The therapist then tailors the system to the individual's traumatic experience. The patient and therapist work through the scenario to help cope with the event. The system also has civilian uses and another version is being developed for medical personnel who experience trauma from treating people. It can be used for any trauma, including natural disasters, car accidents, sexual assaults, or any other situation resulting in PTSD. Read the entire article at: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123145910 http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=670 Links: Virtual Reality Therapy video http://www.af.mil/tv/index.asp?showid=7195 DGMC provides Traumatic Stress Response for units in distress http://www.travis.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123087005