Is VR a deviation from the book

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 08 Aug 2020, 14:47

mpsmaster wrote:
> I think the point of the VR is giving more options otherwise you wouldn't
> see. The brain is and amazing tool. If you place someone in a VR, then show
> a beautiful green place full of flowers and life, ask the person to breath,
> normally, the breathing will be deeper than normally would without the VR.
> Maybe will not work for everybody, but the procedure does work. Many people
> do this without a VR. I know a man that sees whales in his head every night
> before sleep, he just pass out when do this. But many people cannot
> visualize in a way that affects them.

VR helps to balance the fact that not everyone can visualize certain environments. By displaying the desired environment, the person can focus his/her thoughts to a deeper state, and in return, reduce anxiety and stress.

Banette · Post by **Banette** » 09 Aug 2020, 03:07

Given that virtual reality therapy uses the same principles as exposure therapy, which was mentioned earlier, I think it definitely falls within the principles of the book. The only difference in VR therapy and "real" exposure therapy is that the situation is much more controlled, and it can be less threatening for some. I think the idea of a natural remedy in the case of this book simply means that it is an alternative solution to medication.

I'd actually really like to try it since I do have mild social anxiety, which definitely isn't anything bad enough to medicate, and I'd heard that a lot of people were able to use VRChat, and similar games, to help acclimate them to speaking with people in real life.

Rodel Barnachea · Post by **Rodel Barnachea** » 09 Aug 2020, 03:47

I think what the author means with "natural remedies" are remedies that does not require taking pharmaceutical drugs and the like. But, this is what I understood and I might be wrong, so please correct me if you think I made a mistake.

drwcroaker · Post by **drwcroaker** » 09 Aug 2020, 13:25

One way to overcome phobias is to use your imagination to play out situations where you place yourself in proximity to a phobia to train yourself, in the safety of your own mind, to be in control of the situation. To me, VR is just a way to enhance your natural imagination. Not much different than using technology to form natural ingredients into a pill form.

jardenjarden · Post by **jardenjarden** » 10 Aug 2020, 01:05

I can definitely see how it could be perceived as offtopic or contradictory to the natural solutions, however, I don't think it really deviated from the main message of the book. The final chapter was addressing technology-based remedies, so I think that VR definitely goes hand in hand with that.

I found that personally, I thought the book's main message was that in order to help relieve the stresses and anxieties in your life, you must first address the causes of those anxieties and face your fears in a way that works for you. For some, that might mean focusing on the natural remedies, and for others, it could mean using VR or apps. Because of this, I believe that it does not deviate from the main point of the book.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 10 Aug 2020, 06:16

aaurba wrote:
> I think what the author means with "natural remedies" are
> remedies that does not require taking pharmaceutical drugs and the like.
> But, this is what I understood and I might be wrong, so please correct me
> if you think I made a mistake.
Your understanding is in line with the authors' guidelines. The natural remedies are alternatives to medication.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 10 Aug 2020, 06:17

Banette wrote:
> Given that virtual reality therapy uses the same principles as exposure
> therapy, which was mentioned earlier, I think it definitely falls within
> the principles of the book. The only difference in VR therapy and
> "real" exposure therapy is that the situation is much more
> controlled, and it can be less threatening for some. I think the idea of a
> natural remedy in the case of this book simply means that it is an
> alternative solution to medication.
>
> I'd actually really like to try it since I do have mild social anxiety,
> which definitely isn't anything bad enough to medicate, and I'd heard that
> a lot of people were able to use VRChat, and similar games, to help
> acclimate them to speaking with people in real life.

As you stated, VR is a controlled environment. The intensity or environment replication can be heightened or reduced to suit the preferences of the user. It's a very workable solution. You should consider trying it out.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 10 Aug 2020, 06:25

jardenjarden wrote:
> I can definitely see how it could be perceived as offtopic or contradictory
> to the natural solutions, however, I don't think it really deviated from
> the main message of the book. The final chapter was addressing
> technology-based remedies, so I think that VR definitely goes hand in hand
> with that.
>
> I found that personally, I thought the book's main message was that in
> order to help relieve the stresses and anxieties in your life, you must
> first address the causes of those anxieties and face your fears in a way
> that works for you. For some, that might mean focusing on the natural
> remedies, and for others, it could mean using VR or apps. Because of this,
> I believe that it does not deviate from the main point of the book.

I think VR is both a Technology-based remedy and a "natural remedy." My argument is on the premise that VR is used to create a natural environment that resembles what the user ought to see. Recently I've seen posts on social media of people filming different locations and presenting them to other users through VR models. If a certain environment can be used to bring you into relaxation, then putting it in a VR model is the same as you being there physically.

rahilshajahan · Post by **rahilshajahan** » 10 Aug 2020, 08:56

Dominik_G wrote:
> I understand why you propose this question. However, I believe the authors
> use "natural" as in "non-medical", and so Virtual
> Reality has a right to make their list of possible remedies, in my opinion.

I can't agree with you more. The author didn't mean to say VR technology is natural, but rather a non-medical means of remedy.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 10 Aug 2020, 09:06

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> mpsmaster wrote:
> > I think the point of the VR is giving more options otherwise you wouldn't
> > see. The brain is and amazing tool. If you place someone in a VR, then show
> > a beautiful green place full of flowers and life, ask the person to breath,
> > normally, the breathing will be deeper than normally would without the VR.
> > Maybe will not work for everybody, but the procedure does work. Many people
> > do this without a VR. I know a man that sees whales in his head every night
> > before sleep, he just pass out when do this. But many people cannot
> > visualize in a way that affects them.
>
> VR helps to balance the fact that not everyone can visualize certain environments. By
> displaying the desired environment, the person can focus his/her thoughts to a deeper
> state, and in return, reduce anxiety and stress.

Yes, especially if you live in a city and find comfort in the countryside, a VR simulation can am=ke it possible. Also, the VR can essentially create a virtual environment that can totally blend you into the surroundings. So it is a good remedy.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 10 Aug 2020, 09:08

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> Banette wrote:
> > Given that virtual reality therapy uses the same principles as exposure
> > therapy, which was mentioned earlier, I think it definitely falls within
> > the principles of the book. The only difference in VR therapy and
> > "real" exposure therapy is that the situation is much more
> > controlled, and it can be less threatening for some. I think the idea of a
> > natural remedy in the case of this book simply means that it is an
> > alternative solution to medication.
> >
> > I'd actually really like to try it since I do have mild social anxiety,
> > which definitely isn't anything bad enough to medicate, and I'd heard that
> > a lot of people were able to use VRChat, and similar games, to help
> > acclimate them to speaking with people in real life.
>
> As you stated, VR is a controlled environment. The intensity or environment
> replication can be heightened or reduced to suit the preferences of the user. It's a
> very workable solution. You should consider trying it out.

Yes, a great advantage of living in this day and age is that you can simulate almost any action. The VR is no different. It can stimulate any social interaction and you can definitely benefit from this.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 10 Aug 2020, 09:10

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> aaurba wrote:
> > I think what the author means with "natural remedies" are
> > remedies that does not require taking pharmaceutical drugs and the like.
> > But, this is what I understood and I might be wrong, so please correct me
> > if you think I made a mistake.
> Your understanding is in line with the authors' guidelines. The natural remedies are
> alternatives to medication.

Natural remedies are not necessarily an alternative to medication. No natural remedy is guaranteed to work on you as no medication is guaranteed to make you feel better. It depends on you actually. VR similarly, is a great and is remedy that will see a lot of improvements in the future.

Star_and_Buck · Post by **Star_and_Buck** » 10 Aug 2020, 22:01

VR is not a remedy or a solution to anyone's problems but is an escape. For anyone suffering through anxiety it is an imagionary world where he or she dreams just where he wants to be or whag he likes to be disrrgarding the current situations.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 11 Aug 2020, 05:11

Star_and_Buck wrote:
> VR is not a remedy or a solution to anyone's problems but is an escape. For
> anyone suffering through anxiety it is an imagionary world where he or she
> dreams just where he wants to be or whag he likes to be disrrgarding the
> current situations.

On a different thought, using holograms brings reality closer to our imagination. Real-time holograms are also true events that aren't imaginary. They are categorized as part of the VR world. Some have been used to schedule realtime therapy, where patients didn't have to travel to meet their doctors.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 11 Aug 2020, 05:15

Howlan wrote:
> Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> > Banette wrote:
> > > Given that virtual reality therapy uses the same principles as exposure
> > > therapy, which was mentioned earlier, I think it definitely falls within
> > > the principles of the book. The only difference in VR therapy and
> > > "real" exposure therapy is that the situation is much more
> > > controlled, and it can be less threatening for some. I think the idea of a
> > > natural remedy in the case of this book simply means that it is an
> > > alternative solution to medication.
> > >
> > > I'd actually really like to try it since I do have mild social anxiety,
> > > which definitely isn't anything bad enough to medicate, and I'd heard that
> > > a lot of people were able to use VRChat, and similar games, to help
> > > acclimate them to speaking with people in real life.
> >
> > As you stated, VR is a controlled environment. The intensity or environment
> > replication can be heightened or reduced to suit the preferences of the user.
> It's a
> > very workable solution. You should consider trying it out.
>
> Yes, a great advantage of living in this day and age is that you can simulate almost
> any action. The VR is no different. It can stimulate any social interaction and you
> can definitely benefit from this.

As VR keeps changing, more options to customize experiences as per the needs of the user will help with issues of anxiety and stress. A doctor can recommend a certain procedure as part of therapy, which can be programmed to a VR environment and fit their patient.