About Virtual Reality

For the past 10 years, The Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) has been using simulation technologies in three main areas: 1) treating patients with anxiety disorders, 2) training for both military and civilian populations, and 3) enhancing various educational programs. With U.S. offices in San Diego, West Los Angeles, Palo Alto, California and an office and manufacturing facility in Orlando, Florida, VRMC is a world leader in applying virtual reality technology in combination with physiological monitoring and feedback for training, therapy, and emerging applications. We are also focused on developing a comprehensive protocol to address an array of needs for military personnel and civilian first responders as well as emerging technologies for various security and intelligence operations.

• VRMC operates and manages psychology clinics staffed by licensed clinical psychologists devoted to using cognitive-behavioral techniques
  combined with virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of various disorders in both adults and children.
• VRMC designs, develops and markets advanced virtual reality systems for mental health care.
• VRMC performs and participates in several researches funded by government.
• VRMC's non-profit company IMI sponsors national and international workshops, meetings, and continuing education courses.

As a company specializing in developing simulation software and virtual reality systems to facilitate medical therapy, our mission is to create, test, validate and deliver highly effective experiences using innovative technology integrated with medical science. We have extensive knowledge in the creation of interactive software for clinical treatment, and our graphics and software teams are skilled in the development of interactive 3D worlds. Our clinically validated products include Airport and Flight VR, Fear of Heights VR, and Virtual Reality Pain Distraction. We support military medicine by providing PTSD treatment, Stress Inoculation Training, and Combat Medic VR training programs for military medical personnel. Our diverse customer base shows we are committed to expanding our advanced technology to additional medical areas and delivering improved products for clinical use.

The Virtual Reality Medical Center uses Virtual Reality-enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (VR-CBT) to treat clients with panic disorder, specific phobias, agoraphobia, and social phobia. Specific phobias are conditions such as fear of flying, fear of heights, claustrophobia, fear of driving, fear of thunderstorms, arachnophobia, and fear of public speaking.
Virtual reality exposure therapy places you in a computer-generated world where you "experience" the various stimuli related to your phobia. You will wear a head- mounted display with small TV monitors and stereo earphones to receive both visual and auditory cues.

Advantages of Virtual-Reality Exposure Therapy:

• Costs considerably less than in vivo exposure (the use of real life situations for exposure therapy).
• Total control of the "phobic" experience, without leaving the therapist's office.
• Segments of any phobia can be repeated, allowing the client to gradually reduce fear and anxiety.
• Eliminates risks of potential physical harm.
• Therapy is conducted in the therapist's office, allowing for complete patient confidentiality and eliminating public embarrassment concerns.
• People once resistant to traditional treatment may consider Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy.
  
  

Step-by-step process:

   

We want to know when you are subjectively feeling anxious, but we also monitor your physiology, to provide an objective measurement of anxiety and desensitization. Non-invasive physiological monitoring with visual feedback is used to help you understand when you are relaxed and when you are anxious, so you can learn to recreate relaxed feelings on your own in real-life phobic situations.

Virtual reality exposure begins after you have learned these anxiety management skills, usually in session 3 or 4. Virtual reality offers the opportunity for you to practice these skills in situations in which you previously experienced anxiety, allowing the skills to generalize more easily to real world settings.

In careful, controlled stages, you will be exposed to experiences that elicit higher levels of anxiety. Each stage can be repeated until you are comfortable with the experience and satisfied with your response.

At every step, the therapist can see and hear what you are experiencing in the virtual world. If your level of anxiety becomes overwhelming, you can return to a less stressful level of treatment, or simply remove the head-mounted display and exit the virtual world.

The entire process:

• lasts 8-12 sessions on average.
• takes you through a graded set of phobic stimuli.
• uses a head-mounted virtual reality display and real-time physiological monitoring.
• is customized for every client.
• is faster than traditional exposure therapy and desensitization.
  

If you have questions, please visit our FAQ's page or call 1-866-822-VRMC.