VR-supported therapy for anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder: current possibilities and limitations

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in psychotherapy, and the speed of development of therapeutic VR tools is continuously increasing. This narrative review provides an overview of the state of the art regarding VR applications for psychotherapy. The current state of VR therapy research for anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is summarized. The focus lies on VR exposure therapy. Current developments in the field are outlined. For anxiety disorders, especially phobic disorders, there are already positive recommendations in the current German S3 guidelines. For PTSD, the development of VR therapy tools is still in a relatively early stage. The development of mobile cost-effective VR solutions in recent years has enabled entirely new applications for VR. The empirical challenges of these new developments are considerable. Nevertheless, the chances for an improvement of psychotherapeutic routine care are good.