Now your social anxiety can be treated with VR

For those who need help and support from a psychologist, the waiting times can be long.

One solution to this is internet-based CBT treatment where you can get access to treatment completely without waiting times.

This is something that most regions in Sweden offer today.

Virtual reality, or VR as it is abbreviated, has proven to be an effective complement to standard CBT treatment.

By gradually exposing oneself to their fears, the goal is to de-dramatize the fear.

And there, VR can be a reasonable first step for many.

- It is like an artificial reality which deceives the brain, says Lina Ciardella, psychological management responsible for CBT via the internet.

In connection with covid-19, it became increasingly difficult for people with, for example, social anxiety to work with CBT, as it requires being able to expose oneself to crowds.

- It was in connection with what the idea of ​​VR arose, that we realized that we have to invent something other than the usual, says psychologist Ellen Hven, who works with CBT and VR.

For those who have a fear of, for example, air travel or special animals, the technology can be extra helpful, as otherwise there are situations that are difficult to achieve in reality.

In the clip: See when SVT's reporter meets his fears in VR - and hear the psychologist Ellen Hven tell more about the tool.