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Australian scientists from Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Melbourne used virtual reality technology to reduce auditory hallucinations in the form of voices in patients’ heads. The study was published in the scientific publication The Conversation.
Perceiving voices that aren’t there remains a common symptom of mental disorders. The phenomenon can be a sign of schizophrenia, but it can also sometimes occur in healthy people who are affected by experiences such as severe stress, trauma, and depression.
The exact nature of auditory hallucinations remains unclear, but their occurrence can worsen patients’ quality of life.
In the new study, the team used what’s known as avatar therapy, creating avatars — digital representations of imagined voices — in a virtual space.
The scientists tested the approach on a 53-year-old Australian man who had suffered from intrusive auditory hallucinations for more than 30 years.
In virtual reality sessions, he was able to meet and interact with an avatar of his voice. Over a two-month period, the man learned to resist the hallucinations, after which they began to visit him less often. In addition, the voices were no longer aggressive.
According to the experiment participant, the hallucination stopped acting like a bully and began to look more like a friend, pointing out things in his life to him.
The scientists hope their findings will help create new and effective ways to treat mental disorders.
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