Virtual Reality Therapy

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People respond with a very strong sense of presence. We're working with people who have very distressing voices. They could describe their voices, and using this voice transformation o where we could transform the voice to the sound they reported that they heard. And most people said that it was uncanny the extent to which it sounded like their voice. We added to that a face or a head. It seemed helpful to add a face, because the whole purpose of the the therapy was to create a new form of dialogue inwhich people could claim power over this dominant and blittling voice. People reported real raw emotion, a sense of presence, heart rate pounding, physiological responses, terror a and a real

What if virtual worlds become indistinguishable from the real one? In 1999 the science fiction film, The Matrix, depicted a dystopian future in which people are unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, run by intelligent machines. As the fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, is about to be released, the writer Naomi Alderman considers the influence this movie franchise has had in the last two decades, and how far virtual reality has become part of everyday life.

The philosopher, David J Chalmers, proposes that the Matrix scenario could be the future, but that rather than trapped, humanity can lead a meaningful life in virtual reality. Chalmers is one of the leading thinkers on consciousness. In his latest book, Reality+ he provocatively argues that VR is not escapism. And that we may even be living in a computer simulation already – and if that is true, it’s not so bad.

Philippa Garety is Professor of Clinical Psychology at Kings College London and has been at the forefront of treatments for problems associated with psychosis, including hearing voices and hallucinations. She is currently working on innovative treatments using digital technology, including avatars and virtual reality, to alleviate suffering. In a clinical setting VR can be managed as a safe environment for patients who struggle in the real world, as a place they can confront and understand their delusions.

Producer: Katy Hickman

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Caption: (L-r) CARRIE-ANNE MOSS as Trinity and KEANU REEVES as Neo/Thomas Anderson in Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and Venus Castina Productions’ “THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.