Comments on: Virtual Reality and the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress

By: runninfast

runninfast — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:05:55 +0000

I have very conflicted emotions about this treatment method. There are pros and cons to it I suppose just like there is everything in life. I am sure that exposure to certain things over and over again can in some ways allow you to confront and deal with irrational fears. This is not always a bad thing now is it? And surely those who employ this treatment method are trained to know when enough is enough and would remove the trigger from the patient in order to ensure that a healthy mental state is maintained.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:07:22 +0000

Margo I totally agree. Anyone who did agree to this really has lost their mind!

By: Margo

Margo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:02:47 +0000

I totally agree. this sounds like the most backwards “treatment” mthod I have ever heard of. I would never allow a family member of mine be subjected to this.

By: upstatesc

upstatesc — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:28:43 +0000

And what about those who cannot deal effectively with this kind of trauma? How will therapy like this in any way help them? To me it seems like this could only set them back rather than advance their treatment.

By: Ethan

Ethan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:16:11 +0000

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD has been shown to have a genetic and environmental connection. A study conducted by Kerry Ressler, of Emory University in Atlanta, established that an individual may be at an increased risk for developing PTSD if he/she possesses a particular gene variant in combination with a past traumatic experience. The research team examined the effects of a gene called FKBP5 and concluded that the presence of this gene could mean a predisposition to PTSD. Every individual has a different mechanism to deal with stressful situations like violence, accidents, natural calamity and war.

By: gamecock96

gamecock96 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:19:34 +0000

I see no positives to this treatment style at all. I have a relative who experienced a very traumatic event in her own life and I cannot imagine someone asking her to relive this again and again as a part of a treatment session. That is just unheard of. Therapy should be gentle and compassionate, not even more stressful to the patient.

By: Austin

Austin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:37:29 +0000

I guess I can see the pros and the cons of this style of treatment. It does force you to confront your demons but at what cost? Will you simply continue to go through life traumatized? I think there are better therapy solutions than what this presents.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:11:05 +0000

Yes, the good old extinction theory…but indeed with virtual reality being so real it does seem like the danger of re-traumatization is strong and could be un-ethical. The training period must be very important for the therapist and they must be very sensitive to the ability each individual has to tolerate how much ‘little-by-little’

By: Steve H

Steve H — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:36:13 +0000

Of course exposure to something will leave you less sensitive to it but I still do not see how this would treat someone and the problems they were having associated with it. I cannot imagine having to go through this or allowing that treatment for soemone that I love.

By: Donna

Donna — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:33:21 +0000

But isn’t this what any good treatment method is all about anyway? Allowing you to face your past and your demons in a safe envirnoment so that you can encounter them and no longer feel threatened and stunted by that which has happened to you in the past?

By: DariaK

DariaK — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:57:53 +0000

This method makes me think about the ethical considerations of the so-called “re-traumatisation of the client”. Personally, as a therapist and a survivor of trauma, I don’t think that this method is ethical. It is based on the idea of “catharsis” as discharge, that construes a person like something similar to a steam engine. But is it a “true” description or just one of the possible ones? Does the client have the right to say “no”, or s/he has to follow what the “expert” therapist has in store for him/her?

By: Colette Dowling

Colette Dowling — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:45:00 +0000

I agree that it sounds pretty horrific; the thing is, there are good studies showing that it really helps people, and rather quickly. Hard to know what to think. I myself will stick to EMDR for trauma.

By: ashley

ashley — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:14:35 +0000

This seems to be to be a horrible treatment method! I understand hw prolonged exposure to something could desensitze you but it seems that if you have personally experienced a traumatic event that something like this could bring it all back. This is terrible to me that anyone would even consider this as “therapy” for a patient.