MEDICAL RESEARCH
Dr. Hunter Hoffman’s feature article in Scientific American describes current research using VR for pain relief, overcoming phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Firsthand is supporting Dr. Hoffman’s research.
Playing Games with Painful Memories:
Designing VR Exposure Therapy Simulations for PTSD
by Ari Hollander
Treating Phobias with VR Exposure Therapy
The patient sees her own hand represented as a virtual hand within SpiderWorld.
© 2005 Hunter Hoffman and Firsthand Technology Inc.
“..current phobia therapy is hampered by the limits of two of its treatments: imagistic and in vivo desensitization. The former method, in which patients are presented with frightening photographs, is flawed because "some people can't scare themselves with imagery." While the "live" in vivo system works…it's impractical, expensive, and occasionally risky to the doctor. VR treatment replicates the qualities of in vivo, but allows the therapist to manipulate the degree of intensity.”
Dr. Albert Carlin on SpiderWorld
Wired Magazine
SpiderWorld Breaks New Ground for VR Therapy
Phobias run the gamut of forms and intensity, affecting roughly 10% of the human population. Dr. Hunter Hoffman, at the University of Washington, has pioneered the use of VR exposure therapy for treating phobias using a SpiderWorld to treat extreme arachnophobia. The benefit of the patient with VR exposure therapy is that they can confront their fear in a controlled, non-threatening environment. For therapists, virtual environments remove the boundaries of possible experiences they can deliver within their clinic.Beyond Arachnophobia, VR has been applied to other forms of cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, fear of whatever, and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
SpiderWorld presents patients with various tasks which require them to engage with the virtual spider.
© 2005 Hunter Hoffman and Firsthand Technology Inc.
Firsthand is providing design and development services to support Dr. Hoffman's phobia research. SpiderWorld allows the patient to encounter, acclimate and then interact with a hairy virtual tarantula haunting a kitchen counter. The SpiderWorld therapy environment was solicited by the Heinz Nixdorf Museum in Germany as exemplary of the potential for VR therapy, and is currently touring internationally in their Computer Medicine Exhibition.
VR Exposure Therapy and CBT Links
Dr. Hunter Hoffman's research site, www.vrpain.com, provides detailed descriptions of VR Exposure Therapy research and links to the scientific literature.
Transcript from Alan Alda's program: Scientific Frontiers: Arachnophobia
Feature segment focused on SpiderWorld describing the research conception, development and use of VR Therapy with its first patient, "Miss Muffet.". The highlight of the program, Miss Muffet encounters and holds a live tarantuala.