EMMA: An adaptive display for virtual therapy

Abstract

Environments used up to now for therapeutic applications are invariable ones, Their contents can not be changed neither by the therapist nor by the patient. However, this is a technical issue that can be solved with current technology. In this paper, we describe a virtual environment that has been developed taking into account this factor. The main technical feature of the environment is that its aspect can be modified controlled by the therapist that conducts the clinical sessions depending on the emotions that the patient is feeling at each moment, and depending on the purpose of the clinical session. The environment has been applied for the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, pathological bereavement, and adjustment disorder in adult population. In the paper we present some data showing its utility for the treatment of a phobia in a 9-year-old child. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.