As the digital world increasingly intertwines with our everyday experiences, rising expenses for travel and a decline in healthcare availability prompt the question: how can we locate professionals who cater to our unique requirements? Technology may hold the answer, and this time it’s not artificial intelligence leading the charge—it’s virtual reality (VR). This innovative medium offers an immersive approach to various treatments, starting with mental health, which is particularly significant for veterans.
Virtual Reality in Veteran Care
Surprisingly, the Veterans Affairs (VA) has already embraced virtual reality, initiating Pain and Anxiety Management programs dating back to late 2017. The VA utilizes VR headsets to help veterans escape negative stressors through engaging virtual environments that encompass interactive games, calming natural scenes, and 360-degree videos. By 2023, the VA had integrated numerous VR applications into over 30 different scenarios across medical centers nationwide, including Puerto Rico, enhancing rehabilitative care, staff training, and addressing health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain.
Bridging the Gap in Access
Despite the evident benefits of VR technology, its rapid deployment within military circles raises questions. High-quality VR headsets typically range from $300 to $400—an insignificant sum compared to the extensive costs associated with certain technologies and prescriptions provided by VA and military clinics. So, what explains the gap in utilization? Crystal Chambers, CEO and Founder of Sheepdog Therapeutics, is addressing this issue with her Emotional Wellness app, DISCOVReality. With strong ties to the military community, she is focused on creating a bridge that facilitates access to trauma treatment through her app.
The Science Behind DISCOVReality
Chambers explains that the app employs a unique method to address various forms of trauma. “Our brains don’t differentiate between real and virtual experiences when placed in an isolated environment,” she noted. By donning a VR headset, users immerse themselves in a reality that their brains perceive as genuine, allowing for effective processing of emotions in a controlled setting devoid of external distractions.
Enhancing Emotional Control
According to Chambers, the process within DISCOVReality involves several techniques designed to enhance the user’s VR experience. Sound frequencies play a crucial role, influencing brainwave patterns to induce either a heightened or relaxed mental state. Within this tailored environment, users can engage with specific emotional challenges and work through related traumas.
Chambers likens the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind to a ship, with the conscious mind as the captain and the unconscious as the rowers. “While the captain can issue commands, if the rowers don’t respond, progress is halted,” she explained.
Empowering Users to Respond
DISCOVReality serves as a tool that neither overrides the unconscious nor amplifies the conscious; instead, it blends both to empower users in their emotional responses. This innovative approach encourages individuals to navigate their feelings rather than react impulsively. “This is just the initial phase of our software,” Chambers shared. “We have an extensive roadmap with future enhancements aimed at helping individuals transform their mental processes. Our goal is to make this powerful tool accessible to as many people as possible, making even a slight shift in emotional wellness a collective victory.”
Features of DISCOVReality
The app’s online description highlights key features such as:
- Emotional Resolution in Under 60 Minutes: Guided sessions focus on stress relief and resilience-building in less than an hour.
- Science-Backed Brain Training: Utilizing neuroplasticity, the app aids in developing healthier emotional responses.
- Self-Guided Empowerment: Users can manage their emotional journeys through interactive VR experiences anytime, anywhere.
- Progress Tracking & Achievements: Detailed metrics allow users to monitor their growth and resilience.
Imagine possessing the strength to confront life’s adversities with calmness and confidence. DISCOVReality aims to seamlessly integrate a VR-based approach to emotional wellness into everyday life.
Interactive Healing Process
Chambers elaborated on the app’s process, explaining that users can select specific moments in their lives to work on through a technique called a timeline. The app encourages users to connect with their subconscious, guiding them to identify emotional touchpoints for deeper exploration. This process includes the use of emotional activation videos, designed to forge a link between conscious and unconscious emotional states.
A Comprehensive Approach to Trauma
Not limited to veterans, DISCOVReality has the potential to assist anyone dealing with trauma or emotional struggles. Chambers envisions the program being instrumental in suicide prevention, addressing sexual trauma, and aiding service members transitioning from military life. She likened their approach to incorporating hidden vegetables into children’s meals—creating engaging and interactive VR experiences that subtly facilitate emotional processing.
Impact on Suicide Prevention
Chambers pointed out that research indicates 50% of suicides are impulsive decisions. If individuals can be engaged for just 30 minutes, they may regain emotional stability to reconsider their choices. “Capturing someone in that crucial half-hour to improve emotional regulation and cognitive function could lead to significant positive outcomes,” she asserted.
DISCOVReality is available on the Meta store, offering a promising avenue for emotional wellness through the transformative power of virtual reality.
