Slashdot Mirror
Common PC Video Games Used To Treat Phobias
NoData writes "Treating phobias with exposure therapy--gradually putting patients in fear-inducing situations, is a well-established method, even using virtual means, like VR simulators. However, now CNN is reporting on research that shows off-the-shelf PC video games can effectively treat phobias as well. Games like "Half-Life" were used to treat arachnophobia, and "Unreal Tournament" to treat acrophobia and claustrophobia."
Found on Google so you don't have to:
"Luposlipaphobia: The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly waxed floor." (GL)
And the first level of Dr. Wily's castle where you were forced by the bastard scrolling to time jumps fluidly so you could get to the robotic dragon? I fell for an hours on end.
But as therapy for phobics? Hah. Am I getting in an airplane anytime soon? Hell no. Knock me out like Mr. T in the A-Team and I'll consider it.
cleats and Livr-Snaks?
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
Persuasive Computing is the title of a cool book of Stanford researcher B. J. Frogg, that discusses how computers can be used to change people behaviours. One of the examples are about using virtual reality to threat fobias.
As a specialist in treating phobias, I can confirm your comments. Phobias are triggered by basic sensory input (usually sight), which is why people can be phobic of pictures of spiders.
Phobics actually have 2 simultaneous responses because there are 2 separate pathways in the brain. The faster one goes straight to the amygdala and the other via the visual/auditory cortex. It's this faster pathway which is the problem.
So a phobic will always feel fear first, and a split-second later can know that their response is irrational whilst being unable to do anything about it.
The only way to treat a phobic response is to retrain the amygdala, and can be done quickly (10 mins) and painlessly.
All of this goes out the window for anticipatory anxiety, which we can loosely define as a 'rational response to an irrational yet automatic thought.'
Eg those afraid of flying are convinced the plane is going to crash. The inside of their minds look like those airplane disaster movies. Retraining their amygdala would be akin to making them feel better about dying ie probably isn't going to work. Instead, you might edit those internal movies to make them unrealistic eg see everyone in the plane wearing bowler hats.