Virtual Reality…Therapy?
Share:
In this new wave of VR tech, a study has found that virtual reality could be used for people battling depression, by helping them to be more compassionate toward themselves.
More than half of the patients who experienced the immersive therapy reported improvements in their mental health, with several of the subjects marking a drop in the severity of their condition.
The VR therapy works by using specially programmed computers and hardware to create immersive and artificially created environments that can be used to treat and monitor a patient’s condition. Multiple cases over the last few years have shown a 90% “cure” rate in patients, in everyone from those suffering from anxiety to veterans dealing with PTSD.
VR user Professor Mel Slater said there was ‘huge potential’ in these findings, and added:
“By comforting the child and then hearing their own words back, patients are indirectly giving themselves compassion.”
If you’re looking for some stuff to play when you’re feeling low, check out these titles:
Portal 1-2: A puzzle game for the ages. Many could find some solace in simply placing the cube on the right switch. If you’d rather, you could play with a friend and enjoy the brain teasers as a duo.
Minecraft: This one had to be mentioned. What could be more calming than flicking the difficulty to peaceful, and just building a house, or digging for gold? Or even making your very own utopia where every block is Lapis Lazuli.
Sorcery!: IOS or Steam – take your pick. This ‘choose your own adventure’ harkens back to the books written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. Play as a brave hero returning the crown of kings to its rightful leader!
Torchlight 2: A Diablo-esque dungeon crawler. Make your hero, choose your pet, then kick the living hell out of some demons. Easy to just sit back and play.