A few people have tried using augmented reality for therapeutic reasons. Our favorite experimental therapy was by Dr. Cristina Botella, who had the idea that you could cure phobias using AR. See, one of the best ways to get over an irrational fear is repeated exposure to it. But there’s this problem. When you take someone who’s afraid of roaches and make her repeatedly get in a box filled with roaches, she might decide to find a new psychiatrist. Or, as the scientists say, you’ll have a “high rate of attrition.” Dr. Botella wondered if you could work out a compromise, where you simply project
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“A few people have tried using augmented reality for therapeutic reasons. Our favorite experimental therapy was by Dr. Cristina Botella, who had the idea that you could cure phobias using AR. See, one of the best ways to get over an irrational fear is repeated exposure to it. But there’s this problem. When you take someone who’s afraid of roaches and make her repeatedly get in a box filled with roaches, she might decide to find a new psychiatrist. Or, as the scientists say, you’ll have a “high rate of attrition.” Dr. Botella wondered if you could work out a compromise, where you simply project hordes of horrifying insects into the subject’s eyes. The study we read only had six participants, but all six of them seemed to come away from the experience with lessened phobias that were maintained over time. Of course, maybe they just said that to make Dr. Botella stop.”
Reference
Weinersmith, Kelly, & Zach Weinersmith (2017, Oct. 7). “Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything.” Kindle Edition. Chapter 7 Augmented Reality: An Alternative to Fixing Reality, p. 179 of 358, 43%.
