The Virtual Reality Medical Center offers a new treatment for those with a fear of driving and for those needing to relearn driving skills after a motor vehicle accident.
Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy is conducted in the safety of the office and allows the patient to slowly build their skills and confidence without exposing themselves or others to unnecessary dangers. As with other phobias, the patient is exposed to experiences that elicit higher levels of anxiety in careful, controlled stages. Each stage can be repeated until the patient is comfortable with the experience and satisfied with their response.
The patient is taught relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing skills, and physiology is monitored during all phases of therapy to insure that the patient is not becoming too anxious. Therapy can then progress at the patient’s own pace as anxiety lessens.
Patients can practice driving on small or large streets, in varying degrees of traffic and different weather conditions. All of these variables can be altered as the therapist and patient agree upon.
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