Month: March 2014

Research finds using VR to carefully re-expose individuals to traumatic events reduces symptoms

A new study has shown that therapy using virtual reality technology can help combat veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, by re-exposing them to traumatic events in a simulated, controlled cyber-environment, researchers said Tuesday. To read the full article from Aljazeera, visit their website.

Can Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Help Veterans Overcome Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

New Rochelle, NY, March 25, 2014—Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among military veterans and together with the often-related anxiety, depression, and psychological and emotional impairment can dramatically affect quality of life. A type of virtual reality (VR) treatment called Graded Exposure Therapy (GET) can improve PTSD symptoms and may also have a positive impact on these associated disorders, as described in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. To view the article, please visit their website.

Brenda Wiederhold Featured in Smithsonian Magazine

From a psychologist’s perspective, a fear of  clowns often starts in childhood; there’s even an entry in the psychologists’ bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM, for a fear of clowns, although it’s under the umbrella category of a pediatric phobia of costumed characters (sports mascots, Mickey Mouse). “It starts normally in children about the age of two, when they get anxiety about being around strangers, too. At that age, children’s minds are still developing, there’s a little bit of a blend and they’re not always able to separate fantasy from reality,” explains Dr. Brenda Wiederhold, a veteran psychologist who runs a phobia and anxiety treatment center in San Diego that uses virtual reality to treat clients.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-and-psychology-of-clowns-being-scary-20394516/#ixzz2uzFqVHEu