Virtual reality for psychotherapy: Current reality and future possibilities

After a burst of popular interest, virtual reality (VR) faded somewhat from view, but research and development have continued. Applications have expanded as costs have come down and hardware has improved. Originally, VR was used to treat simple phobias, especially fear of heights and flying. Applications for claustrophobia, fear of driving, and fear of spiders ensued. Currently, there is ongoing work on posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, schizophrenic hallucinations, and addictions. Considerable success has been achieved in, using VR for distraction from pain. Attention is now being given to panic disorder and agoraphobia. The latter syndromes require the use of simulated human beings (avatars). Existing avatars are standardized, schematic, and limited in their ability to interact, but exciting work is proceeding on the development of highly interactive avatars that can be personalized.