Paul Frewen’s team is using virtual reality and brain-computer-interfaces to transform such serene images into powerful therapeutic experiences for those suffering from depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD.
Gone are the concepts of time and space, giving you a bit of a reprieve from the physical world; from your pain, self-doubt, anxiety or fear.
This dreamlike experience, where one can transcend reality into a different state of consciousness, is what Paul Frewen, PhD, associate professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, is looking to create by combining virtual reality (VR) and brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. He hopes to contribute to better care of people with mental health problems by reducing stress and anxiety and building feelings of peace.
“In Canada, as many as 50 per cent of people will experience some mental health problem at one time or another.” —Paul Frewen, BA Honors’01, MA’03, PhD’08
It’s a compelling approach to help solve a national mental health crisis.
“In Canada, as many as 50 per cent of people will experience some mental health problem at one time or another,” said Frewen, BA Honors’01, MA’03, PhD’08.
“Many of these problems are chronic mood disorders, anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress, and they often don’t go away without some sort of intervention.”
To date, this mostly takes the form of psychotherapy – think of the patient on a couch in the presence of a clinician – or certain medications. While effective, for the most part, these therapies don’t take advantage of present-day technology such as VR or BCI.
In some scenarios, using VR goggles, Frewen places the patient in a virtual environment, evoking feelings of joy and well-being – a respite from the stress of their daily lives.
Experiencing joy and well-being “are not normal experiences for a person with mental health challenges. Their typical day may entail a lot of anxieties, fears and self-doubts,” he said. “This virtual experience is building in them a capacity for positive emotions that are unfamiliar to them.”
Combining VR goggles with BCI technology enables participants to control some of what is happening by changing their own brain states through biofeedback. Picture yourself controlling the height of a campfire with your brain wave activity.
This way, individuals can learn to alter certain brain wave frequencies that not only underlie conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD, but also ADHD and epilepsy.
Importantly, Frewen’s work is well-grounded in research.
One study, published recently in Psychology of Consciousness compared the experiences of being immersed in VR environments – both realistic (like walking on a beach) and surrealistic (witnessing magical activities) – with using standard eyes-closed imagery commonly used in psychotherapy.
While immersed in VR, participants experienced more intense positive emotions, such as joy and awe. Fully 40 per cent even had a full mystical experience in which they lost track of space and time, distinctions between self and others were weakened, and they were overcome with joy.
“Experiences like these can be transformative. They can translate what they learn and experience in VR and with BCI to their everyday lives, reducing mental health problems and improving well-being.” —Paul Frewen, BA Honors’01, MA’03, PhD’08
In another study published in the same journal, Frewen’s team simulated an out-of-body experience. Participants were able to view their own bodies as if they were outside of it looking down at themselves, moving through space by way of tracking and self-regulating their own brain wave activity, through a wearable BCI headset.
These out-of-body experiences relate to the idea of having a soul that could exist outside of the body, giving participants – such as the elderly or those with a terminal condition – comfort through a life-after-death simulation.
“Experiences like these can be transformative,” said Frewen, whose work has been supported by Bell Canada and the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program.
The power of this technology provides an especially unique experience for people with mental health issues, offering them hope and relief, said Frewen. “They can translate what they learn and experience in VR and with BCI to their everyday lives, reducing mental health problems and improving well-being.”
And that’s a reality worth hoping for.
