Virtual Reality Exposure Study at Fort Bragg Aims to Treat PTSD

Professionals from the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services are currently visiting Fort Bragg to investigate the use of virtual reality exposure to treat post traumatic stress disorders in soldiers returning from combat environments.

In a report from www.army.mil, Victoria Ingram, principal investigator with the Department of Health of Human Services states, 'This study is designed to show if virtual reality exposure therapy is an effective way to combat the severity and symptoms of PTSD."

Ingram defines PTSD as "an emotional and psychological reaction to a traumatic event and is usually characterized by a life threatening situation, such as, seeing others around you die or become severely wounded."

During the therapy a variety of trainers are used to simulate traumatic events the troops have experienced which are triggering their PTSD symptoms. The hope, according to Ingram, is that with virtual reality the service members can go back to those moments in a safe environment and reach an emotional connection necessary to make treatment and recovery possible.

Soldiers participating in the study will use equipment that varies from stand-up VR trainers on a vibrating platform while holding a simulated M4 assault rifle to a convoy trainer.

Over a span of two years these professionals are planning to work with nearly 350 Fort Bragg soldiers while demonstrating that virtual reality is a successful option for dealing with and treating PTSD.

Clinical psychologist Anne Edens states, "We hope it (virtual reality exposure therapy) is more attractive to people who don't want to sit down and hear 'How did that make you feel?'"

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