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In the early 1990s, a virtual reality (VR) computing
researcher from Georgia Tech partnered with an Emory University
psychiatry professor and other specialists in the development of
a VR "graded exposure" program to treat people with a fear of
heights (acrophobia). The program gradually exposes acrophobics
to virtual reality height situations, increasing their exposure
in small steps as they are ready.
The researchers published results documenting their success
with virtual reality graded exposure in the April 1995 issue of
the American Journal of Psychiatry. It was believed to be the
first controlled study on the use of VR for treating a behavioral
disorder. They reported that after two months of treatment,
patients undergoing virtual therapy showed significant
improvement compared to a control group. In addition, they
suggested that virtual therapy may be more time- and
cost-effective than traditional exposure therapy.
Research continued to explore other psychiatric applications
for the technology, including the use of VR therapy for fear of
flying and post-traumatic stress disorder. In 1996, researchers
Dr. Larry F. Hodges, a professor in the Georgia Tech College of Computing, and
Dr. Barbara O. Rothbaum, a psychiatry professor in
Emory University's School of Medicine, founded a company to
market their VR therapy programs to qualified therapists.
In
1997, the company, Virtually Better, received a business
assistance grant from the state-funded Faculty Research
Commercialization Program. Today, the company — in which both
Georgia Tech and Emory hold equity positions — is flourishing.
The fear of flying VR therapy program is one with a
potentially large impact. Millions of people suffer from a fear
of flying. Realizing this need, the researchers designed a
virtual reality airplane and are conducting a National
Institutes of Mental Health-funded study on treating the fear of
flying with VR therapy.
Traditional exposure therapy has been an
effective technique for fear of flying, but exposure therapy is
also expensive, logistically difficult to arrange, and presents
significant problems of patient confidentiality and potential
embarrassment. Using the virtual airplane for exposure therapy is
a potential solution to many of the current problems of fear of
flying exposure therapy.
Another application of VR therapy is for post-traumatic stress
disorder, particularly that experienced by Vietnam War veterans.
The researchers have designed a virtual reality simulation of
Vietnam War combat. It is being evaluated by psychotherapists at
the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital and the National
Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Boston.
Georgia Tech file photo
A therapeutic program developed at Georgia Tech and Emory
University gradually exposes acrophobics to virtual reality
height situations, increasing their exposure in small steps as
they are ready. One scenario puts patients in a hotel's glass
elevator.
For more information, contact Dr. Larry Hodges, College of Computing, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-0280. (Telephone: 404-894-8787) (E-mail: larry.hodges@cc.gatech.edu)
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