I have a psych background, around 20 years of informal and formal study mixed. I've been encountering individuals from various professions who claim that there are now ways to heal mental illness and trauma by using VR. This is a technology that already exists.

The theory is that since the mind cannot tell the difference between reality and VR (because the senses are completely immersed) that can lead to all sorts of healing.

While I'm all for new healing modalities, I'm also skeptical. AFAIK trauma is stored in the parasympathetic nervous system, sense perceptions don't reach there (which is why we have EMDR and brainspotting) Depression and anxiety can have complex pathologies, and I'm unsure at to how effective immersion in an simulated environment could be.

Of course, I don't know everything, and though I try to keep abreast of recent developments (like video games to treat ADHD, which have FDA approval) I might have missed something. The VR tech might be used as an adjunct and not as a primary healing modality?

Always looking to learn more especially from people who know more.