Russian clinics are testing virtual psychotherapy

Three Russian clinics have begun using virtual reality to work with patients who show symptoms of apathy, fatigue, and mood deterioration. About it write Vedomosti, citing Allan Beniashvili, an employee of the Mental Health Research Center.

Patients from the experimental group underwent 10 therapy sessions in a virtual reality helmet in 5 days. During each session, the patient was placed inside a cocoon chair and underwent relaxation practice with elements of bodily therapy and work with emotions and images, while mountain landscapes and other locations. Each session took 30 minutes.

It is noted that these patients showed more noticeable positive changes compared to the control group, which underwent conventional therapy sessions without the use of VR.

Initially, the VR project was initiated by the Russian division of Boeing back in 2020. They wanted to use it to restore the mental and cognitive exhaustion of pilots and controllers. Now this technology is going to be used to recover patients after long-term treatment.

According to Beniashvili, the new technology is also being used at the Center for Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation. Department of Health of Moscow" and "National Medical Research Center for Cardiology of the Ministry of Health Russia".

According to Olesya Tolstukhina, a clinical psychologist at the Doctor Nearby medical company, out of a hundred consultations per month about 70% of calls are usually associated with complaints of vegetative failures, anxiety, asthenia and depressive mood. In her opinion, VR can enhance the effect of traditional therapy and may become more widespread in Russia in the future.