Virtual Reality addiction Treatment in Nashville, Tennessee
Virtual reality headsets and goggles have recently gotten extremely popular throughout the country, especially for those who are into gaming, pretending they are in another country, or who just want to find an escape from their everyday stressors. These electronics have been scooped up off the shelves and used by people ranging from hardcore gamers to elderly individuals who want to see another part of the world but are unable to travel. Virtual reality accessories have allowed countless people to get away from their problems, even if just for a few minutes.
Escaping from one’s problems is not always the best thing for people to do on a regular basis, as it breeds isolation, lethargy, and mood problems such as depression or anxiety. For many, virtual reality is something that has a negative impact in their lives for this reason. However, despite the downside of virtual reality, there remain a number of significant benefits to it that are slowly but surely being uncovered.
What is Virtual Reality addiction Treatment?
When it comes to the disease of addiction, innumerable amounts of individuals have struggled with the many challenges that this disease can bring into their lives. When the time comes to obtain treatment, most individuals will enter into a program that offers a handful of different evidence-based treatments that have been proven to work and have been utilized for a long period of time. Virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee is not one of those treatments, as it is a treatment that is still on the cusp of fully developing into a method of care that can make a significant impact on those who struggle with substance use disorders.
Virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee requires clients to put on goggles and place each hand around a joystick. The therapist will utilize the aspects of the virtual reality goggles, such as being able to upload specific scenery, places, people, etc. during one’s therapy session in an effort to work through psychological challenges and complications. As strange as it sounds to utilize a product that has been behind the development of many people’s gaming addictions, studies are in keeping with the idea that virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee poses the potential to provide more good than bad for those in recovery from substance use disorders.
What is a Virtual Reality Session Like?
Just like any other form of therapy, each client’s session will be different from the next. This is because each client has his or her own specific needs that require attention and care. However, when involved in virtual reality in Nashville, TN, clients will go through a number of steps that help them go from feeling overwhelmed by emotion to capable of handling distress in a healthier manner.
As previously mentioned, a client about to participate in virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee will put on a pair of goggles and grab on to two joysticks. The therapist will be in control of the screens within the goggles, utilizing images to help clients address some of their most pressing issues. For example, a therapist might be working with a client who has posttraumatic stress disorder from serving overseas and finds that it is extremely difficult for him/her to talk about the experiences that have disturbed him/her. Through the use of the virtual reality goggles, the therapist can run through a series of scenes that produce a calming effect, like the beach or a quiet, sunny day in the park. As the client navigates through that image, his or her therapist can work with him/her to tap into the topics that are difficult to talk about. The reason behind why this is effective is because the client is splitting his or her attention between the virtual reality experience and reliving the experience that has caused him/her so much pain. Processing it does not feel as upsetting because of this.
Virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee has proven to overflow one’s senses, allowing the client to detach from his or her surroundings. Therefore, utilizing virtual reality treatment when talking about fearful or anxiety-provoking topics can allow clients to also establish a sense of detachment from the distressing experience, making it easier to work through it because it is not so present.
Benefits of our nashville, tennessee virtual reality addiction treatment program
Virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee is a form of care that is still not fully developed, nor is it widely used as of right now. However, those who are working hard to study and fine-tune virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee believe that eventually, clients who are grappling with substance use disorders and other co-occurring conditions can truly begin to benefit from the use of this therapy. Some of the most promising benefits thus far that virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee can provide include the following:
- Guiding people safely while accessing traumatic memories and/or distressing emotions and memories
- Encouraging clients to have fun in their recovery (while virtual reality treatment is utilized to help address pressing psychological issues, it can also serve as a fun way to get involved in treatment)
- Getting clients actively engaged in their recovery
- Helping clients detach from their surroundings so that their main focus is on the topics that they are working through while in session
As research regarding virtual reality addiction treatment in Nashville, Tennessee continues to be conducted, it can be expected that several other benefits of this groundbreaking type of care will also be available for those who participate in it.
Do You Need Help?
If you are struggling with a substance use disorder, reach out for help right now. There is nothing more distressing than allowing an addiction or substance abuse problem to continue. The longer that you use for, the more at risk you become for suffering significant and potentially deadly consequences.
So, if you are in need of help, do not be ashamed to ask for it. You deserve the treatment needed to help you end your use and develop a life of recovery.