Following recent reports that VR is being used to cure acrophobia, more commonly known as a fear of heights, another therapeutic use case for VR has been highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, this time for those suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Dr. Howard Gurr, a psychologist based in New York, United States, is using VR technology alongside cognitive behavioural therapy to alternate his patients between a relaxed and anxious state of mind.
Dr. Gurr told the Wall Street Journal, “With VR I can control their environment, so I can go through the entire process of desensitising their anxiety and it’s in my office”.
