Effective Treatment for Acrophobia by Virtual Reality Techniques

Background and Aim : VR (Virtual reality) is a new technology to make a better understanding of what we will face in real world. There are many applications of VR in different fields of science.Now, VR has an important position in Medical and Paramedical Sciences from surgery, therapy, rehabilitation and also cognitive sciences. Possibility to generateing a 3D model from a human body, various and controlable environments , allow the specialist to describe a special situation for the patients. controling the environment and the objects by both specialist and the patient, enable physiologist to control the process of activity in patient’s brain in the right way. Physiologist and specialist are able to create any environment to improve anxiety disorders, including fear of height, elevators, thunderstorms, and public speaking and flying, in his/her office with safe situation. In this study, by defining an elevated space, we made it possible for a person with a phobia to wear a headset in that environment. Then, the individual will be able to overcome their fears with the guidance of their therapist and place in the environment.Methods : We generate stimuli that could be utilized in desensitization therapy by 3D modeling of environment. It can be modeled in line with patient phobia such as pilot experiments, fear of flying, fear of heights, fear of being in dark area, bridge over a river, and in the presence of an animal and fear of public speaking. We start our simulation environment based on programing software (unity) and we make the environment according to the patient background in the software. In addition we set a goal for the person in the VR environment and encourage him to follow it. Computer graphics and input technologies are integrated to give the user a sense of presence or immersion in the VR. As soon as the patient start to play the in the VR (when the tester wearing VR headset glasses) we started recording his behavior and give him a score of level of feedback by a questionnaire. The persons were evaluated based on the dedicated value was assigned to each level of feeling and was determine the mental performance assessment score for the individual under different conditions.Results : There is no limitation for person to start therapy and person can use the system in the home. and we have the Min risk for therapy and do not need to have any specialplaces. In this research we have found that an increase in the feeling of immersion was directly correlated to a physiological response.A person s physiological behavior reflects one s complete belief in the environment built in front of his or her eyes.Conclusion : In this study at the first we introduce Key topics and basic foundations related to VR and then discuss about potential of this technology for enhancing better understanding of brain activities.So we describe VR and the technic, with the aim of enhancing the level of brain activity and how to get its feedback. Phobia therapy is the case study of this research and we develop the environment according to treatment.

Keywords:

Virtual reality , Acrophobia , Phobia , Unity software