How Can VR Therapy help? 

Alpha Psychological Solutions is committed to improving mental health and challenging behaviours through virtual reality therapy. Virtual reality is ushering in a new era of psychological and behavioural therapy. We are one of the first teams of Psychologists and Behaviour Support Practitioners within Australia to bring Virtual Reality Therapy to support & improve the lives of children, adolescents and adults living with the following:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Social Anxiety
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with Difficulties in Executive Functioning
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Phobias
• Stress Management
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Pain Management
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

How Does Virtual Reality Therapy Work?

Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) results from decades of evidence-based studies. However, it has only recently become more affordable, and It is now a focused treatment approach that the NDIS has approved. Using the Amelia platform, we facilitate your use of VRT in your home setting to ensure the process is controlled, safe & effective. For example, VRT uses revolutionary technology to create a real sense of presence through immersive simulations of real-world environments, including stunning scenery and environments where you can work through diaphragmatic breathing visualisation/imagery and mindfulness techniques, exposure, systematic desensitisation, and progressive muscle relaxation. 

During the session, when you are in a virtual reality environment, your brain cannot distinguish between VR and reality. As a result, when immersed in VR, Your brain receives, via the input, evidence that it needs to process that you are safe and reduce your body’s alarm system, that is, the flight, fight, freeze, and appease emotional components of residual trauma. This experience teaches your brain to relax and feel safe in a situation that has previously caused you to be scared and anxious.

What can I expect in a virtual reality therapy session? 

Amelia’s environments are designed to be experienced while sitting or, if indicated by the psychologist or, if you prefer, standing, without moving, but always touching a physical reference with part of the body (for example, calves or calf muscles). Your heart rate is monitored throughout the session, enabling us to track your progress.

VRT is effective in the treatment of trauma by immersing clients in controlled environments that replicate some aspects of their traumatic experiences. Psychologists can guide you through these scenarios, helping you process and reframe your traumatic memories. This approach allows you to confront your trauma in a safe and controlled manner, reducing and desensitising the emotional intensity over time.

Working in the behaviour support environment, VR can be used effectively with children and adolescents who struggle with emotional regulation and theory of mind and who are often resistant or struggle with worksheets and talk therapy. Thus, Virtual Reality (VR) technology is an exciting tool that helps increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy and behaviour support.

VRT sessions often occur within the standard therapy or implementation session of 50 minutes. They can vary from five or ten minutes (for a brief immersive meditation) to a half-hour VR session paired with traditional CBT, EMDR or talk therapy to an entire fifty-minute immersive VR session. 

What are the benefits of VR Therapy?

Utilising VR as part of a treatment plan can have unique advantages, including:

• Computer-generated exposure or immersion is cheaper and less confronting than real-world scenarios
• You can maintain a sense of control and safety
• A personalised therapy experience designed for your negative experiences
• Reduced symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression and challenging behaviours
• Exposure to triggers in a safe, controlled, computer-generated environment at your home
• Improved engagement with therapy, led by Psychologists and Behaviour Support Practitioners

Whether your treatment is entirely based in our VR environment or virtual reality forms just a minor part of your psychological treatment, it will be a collaboration with one of our Psychologists or Behaviour Support Practitioners. In this exciting future of therapy and mental health, we may visit a gym for regular physical exercise and these virtual environments for our routine well-being. For more information contact us.