Could Virtual Reality Replace Therapy?
From: The Guardian - 10/07/2017
By: Simon Hatterstone

Psychologists are testing virtual reality (VR) systems as a therapeutic tool
for phobias and disorders. University of Oxford professor Daniel Freeman in
the UK says there are few conditions VR cannot treat, "because every mental
health problem is about dealing with a problem in the real world, and VR can
produce that troubling situation for you." University College London
professor Mel Slater cites VR's advantage of enabling users to transcend
physical or discomfiting situations for therapeutic purposes. People
developing VR for therapy increasingly are dependent on the private sector to
support their research, often starting their own businesses directly from
their work. Slater thinks VR therapy has a better chance of catching on now
that technologies such as the Oculus Rift headset are becoming more
affordable. Meanwhile, Kate Anthony with the British Association for
Counseling & Psychotherapy believes VR treatments should be prescribed only,
as wide commercial availability carries the risk of compounding patients'
conditions.

Read the entire article at:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/07/virtual-reality-acrophobia-paranoia-fear-of-flying-ptsd-depression-mental-health

Links:
Now everyone can enjoy virtual reality journalism
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2016/nov/10/virtual-reality-by-the-guardian

The Party - A virtual experience of autism (video 7:21)
https://youtu.be/OtwOz1GVkDg