VR hallucinations used to treat schizophrenia
July 2, 2002 | Source: New Scientist
A virtual reality environment has been designed by a team at the University of Queensland in Brisbane to help treat people with schizophrenia, using a simulated living room projected onto a wrap-around screen and a soundtrack with an abusive running commentary.
For example, it can mimic common hallucinations: walls appear to be closing in, photographs of faces morph, straight lines such as the edge of pictures wobble. The idea is to teach them to recognize and ignore hallucinations in real life.