Virtual therapy

Advances in the field of artificial intelligence and computer models can now allow doctors to learn more about how people are affected, by interacting with virtual people or by 'living. 'inside their own virtual characters.

For more than a decade, some therapists have used virtual environments to help patients overcome obsessions and fears, such as fear of heights or fear of public places. Now, advances in the field of artificial intelligence and computer models allow them to go further in their efforts to cope with complex social challenges and learn more about how people are affected. how by interacting with virtual people, or by 'living' inside their own virtual characters.

Improve behavior by simulation

Researchers are bringing into the digital world virtual people the interaction between patients and they can evoke experiences, the feeling is no different from real-life contact. For example, people who are afraid of social interaction will also have less open mouth to a stranger asking about themselves in a virtual environment. Meanwhile, alcoholics are also hard to control the craving for alcohol even though the bartender in front of him is just a virtual person. Therapists can advise patients right away when they have those feelings.

This new treatment, called cybertherapy, now has annual conferences and attracts more and more therapists, researchers and people interested in the matter. improve behavior through the use of simulations. For example, the US and Canadian military are investing heavily in virtual reality research to help train soldiers and treat post-traumatic stress . Meanwhile, some therapists use virtual technology to simulate threatening situations and guide patients through them. This treatment process takes place step by step and with increasing intensity.

At the Virtual Reality Medical Center in the City of San Diego (USA), psychologists have treated hundreds of stressed patients or fearful diseases with this method. At the University of Southern California, psychologist Albert Rizzo has designed a special program for veterans, using context and virtual people to help patients overcome the obsessions they encounter . He said: ' We can control the intensity of the experience, then work on the patient's response '.

Virtual therapist

The addition of virtual people into the context allows therapists to start dealing with more complex diseases, such as social anxiety. They hope to treat people with this disease by having them practice interacting with a boss or suspicious strangers in a virtual environment. Psychologist Stéphane Bouchard, who is in charge of the virtual therapy program at the University of Quebec in Outaouais (Canada), said: ' People with social anxiety will feel they are being judged right away. even if the virtual person only observes them '.

Mr. Bouchard himself also has a virtual version of himself - called Mimi-Me. At Bouchard's office, the patient was wearing a headset with a microphone and could talk a little bit with Mimi-Me, whose appearance was no different from Mr. Bouchard. Scientists are currently upgrading the virtual therapist's language recognition ability to improve its communication ability.

In a pilot study at the University of Quebec (Canada), the researchers followed two groups of patients with social anxiety. A group of patients chat with the home for an hour each week and the process lasts 14 weeks. The other group talked with virtual therapists and practiced virtual interactions. Results showed that both groups improved compared to those who had not been treated. In addition, the progress that the two groups of patients achieved is equivalent. Researchers are working to determine which subjects benefit most from virtual therapy and whether the combination of virtual and real experiences speeds up the recovery process.

Meanwhile, another study at the University of Southern California showed that people with social anxiety were more likely to admit their own deficiencies, fears and imagination in front of them as a ruler. Virtual data instead of a real therapist.

Because it is still too new, virtual therapy is facing skepticism and criticism from people who perceive risks besides its benefits. " Even if this approach works, there are still side effects that we cannot anticipate," said computer scientist Jaron Lanier . However, most researchers say that virtual treatment is and will be no different from a therapist's tool, meaning that it is used only when it works. Mr. Rizzo, of the University of Southern California, said: 'In general, therapists all want new tools to support their work. Therefore, they will welcome the use of virtual methods '.