OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is a common anxiety characterised by thoughts or actions that are repetitive, distressing and intrusive. If you suffer from OCD, you may be aware that your compulsions are unreasonable or irrational, but they serve to alleviate your anxiety. Often, the logic of someone with OCD may appear superstitious, such insisting to walk in a certain pattern. If you have OCD, you may also obsessively clean personal items or wash your hands constantly, check locks, cooking appliances or light switches.
Conventional treatment options tend to focus on CBT supported by medication, usually anti-depressants, to help boost levels of serotonin and melatonin. Breathing exercises and relaxation techniques have also been used extensively.
At the VRIT clinic, we use virtual reality immersive therapy to build a safe and measured environment to gradually expose you to situations that would normally have initiated an OCD response. Under the guidance of our trained therapists, you will learn how to understand and readjust your response over time to ultimately improve your quality of life and achieve your goals.
Evidence is growing to support that VRIT is particularly well-suited for treating OCD quickly and effectively. Real-time exposure is complex and expensive, and the process can rarely be repeated consistently. That is why until now psychotherapists have relied on imagination exposure, although it is also ineffective as it depends on each person’s ability to imagine the relevant situation.
Virtual reality enables the psychotherapist to offer a safe environment while providing a realistic and accessible experience within the treatment room. At the VRIT clinic, our therapists combine VR with other innovations, such as bio-feedback, to design the most effective treatment programme for you.