Exploring the acceptability and feasibility of using virtual reality to augment cognitive behavioral therapy to overcome avoidance central to mental health presentation in Veterans

A central symptom of PTSD is avoidance of places, situations or thoughts which could be reminders of traumatic events (e.g. going to the supermarket), and lead to anxiety and symptoms of re-experiencing the trauma. Behavioural experiments can be used to treat avoidance, which are carefully planned with therapists to test predictions about what might happen in avoided situations. VR presents an opportunity to replicate an avoided place in a controlled environment and may therefore be a more accessible and feasible way to treat avoidance in veterans, for whom traditional behavioural experiments may be more difficult due to increased isolation, possible chronic pain and potential difficulty of replicating avoided situations.

This project aims to assess if the use of virtual reality alongside cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an acceptable and feasible intervention to improve outcomes for Veterans living with a mental health diagnosis which also includes clinically significant avoidance as a component.

We plan to offer a six-session CBT intervention using VR to delivered behavioral experiments to 20 veterans.  Inclusion criteria will be veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD and were high avoidance symptoms that are central to this diagnosis. Veterans will be recruited via Combat Stress

Is it feasible to treat avoidance in veterans with PTSD using VR?

This project will recruit 8-10 Veterans with a mental health diagnosis which includes clinically significant avoidance.