Fear is a powerful thing. According to the Canadian Psychological Association, around one in ten Canadians has a phobia, a strong fear or apprehension towards a specific object or situation. Some people can’t stand the sight of blood, while others may become light headed at the thought of being very high up.
Here in Toronto, Navun Razdan is working on a new type of therapeutic experience, one that could help people recover from their phobias through virtual reality. ‘UnVrap’ is a project he has been working on that will assist in the therapy process, allowing patients to face their fears in a controlled environment.
“Let’s say you have a fear of airplanes. It’s very impractical to take the patient to an airport, or on a flight, or simulate an airplane in your clinic.”. With UnVrap, patients will be able to visualize their fears, without having to leave the clinic, and without any real danger. If it gets too overwhelming, they can take the headset off, and return to the real world.
“The simulation can be mirrored onto the desktop of the therapist so that they can see exactly what the patient is going through,” says Razdan, “ and guide them step by step through the step by step treatment modules.”
The VR experience will mainly be used as a part of gradual exposure therapy, where patients will slowly get accustomed to hearing about, seeing, and then interacting with the things they fear. Razdan says that when it is finished, he hopes it will be used by clinical psychologists and specialized hospitals.
“Phobias are normally treated through different stages of fear”, says Razdan. “Level 1 would be the least anxiety-inducing, the most safe situation a patient can handle, up to the most scary situation for them, which could be exposing them to their fear.”
Traditionally, therapy for phobias is centered around imagining the thing the patient fears, or in some cases, being forced to interact with it. Razdan believes that there should be a happy medium between these two extremes, one that can be easy to use.
In an age where VR technology is becoming more accessible to the general public, Razdan isn’t alone in wanting to use it for therapeutic situations. Some other startups have already begun testing similar projects, but Razdan says that UnVrap will be more than just a visual experience.
“Let’s say that a patient is exposed to their fear in VR. Our Biofeedback machine will be able to monitor their heart rate, their body temperature, their skin conductance, how tense their muscles are, and all these metrics can help us make sure that it’s not too anxiety-inducing for the patient, so we’re not over-stimulating them.” says Razdan.
He believes that standard phobia therapy, as it stands now, can be challenging to some people. Being exposed to the thing they fear can be stressful, and some people give up on treatment because of that. He also says that recovery from phobias is not as simple as visiting a psychologist. “Its really important to have effective relapse strategies,” he says.
Currently, UnVrap is still in the process of assembling it’s team, but Razdan seems very hopeful for it’s future. With an estimated time of a year until release, he’s making a fearless charge into the world of phobia therapy.
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