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Virtual reality provides relief from soldiers' trauma

23 May 2012

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VIRTUAL reality simulations of combat are helping soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) find relief from their symptoms.

Robert McLay of the US Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, has preliminary results from a trial comparing virtual reality with standard exposure therapy – which helps patients to relearn their responses to stressful situations by focusing on the traumatic event in a controlled environment.

Soldiers with PTSD either discussed their most traumatic experience while looking at computer images of similar scenes, or they were immersed in virtual reality…

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