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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: LogOn VR PTSD
HEADLINE: Reliving Trauma Through Virtual Reality is Helping Veterans With PTSD
TEASER: Immersive therapy using technology is easing symptoms in some who have experienced combat trauma
BYLINE: Deana Mitchell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE:
PUBLISHED DATE: 1/25/2022: 8:40AM
VIDEOGRAPHER: Deana Mitchell
VIDEO EDITOR: Deana Mitchell
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michelle Quinn, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Zoom
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV x__ RADIO x__
TRT: 2:00
VID APPROVED BY: Sue Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Soldiers who experienced combat trauma have a new way of getting help — walking through a virtual reality simulation of their experience. Deana Mitchell spoke to a psychologist about how it works.]]
((Nat sound)) ((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
“IED, IED!”
(((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
((NARRATOR))
This virtual reality experience is no game. It’s an app called Bravemind, designed to realistically portray a warzone. And its aim? To treat military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress.
[[FOR RADIO: Skip Rizzo is the creator of Bravemind. He spoke to VOA over Zoom]]
((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
((Skip Rizzo, USC Institute for Creative Technologies)) ((Mandatory CG: Zoom))
“You can put the patient in specific contexts that are most relevant for them, whether it's an Afghan village or busy Iraqi marketplace. … The clinician can control the time of day, the sound effects. We're trying to make it so the brain doesn't react in fight, flight or freeze mode when they walk into a crowd, or they have to sit at a restaurant with their back to the door.”
((NARRATOR))
Chris Meek, founder of SoldierStrong, a nonprofit working to get Bravemind into Veteran Affairs hospitals, says the app appeals to young military veterans.
((Chris Meek, SoldierStrong Founder)) ((Mandatory CG: Zoom))
“The post-9/11 generation is really a gaming generation. It’s just a different style than going along on the couch and talking to a therapist.”
((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
((NARRATOR))
Rizzo says virtual reality therapy works well for most patients but there are those who prefer traditional methods. He said that reliving trauma, even in simulation, is “hard medicine for a hard problem.”
((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
((Skip Rizzo, USC Institute for Creative Technologies)) ((Mandatory CG: Zoom))
“It's always going to be a difficult memory, but it's not going to be a restrictive experience that keeps people from engaging.”
((NARRATOR))
When first introduced to Bravemind, Meek wanted to try out the various virtual reality experiences. He was particularly affected by one created for survivors of sexual trauma, a new category.
((Mandatory CG: USC Institute for Creative Technologies))
((Chris Meek, SoldierStrong Founder)) ((Mandatory CG: Zoom))
“The scenario has you in a bar and you're talking to somebody, and your eyelids fade to black, and then next thing, you wake up and you see your eyelids slowly open and you're on your back with your predator standing over you. And that one really freaked me out.”
((NARRATOR))
Rizzo says some clinicians have advised this scenario might be too much for their patients.
((Skip Rizzo, USC Institute for Creative Technologies)) ((Mandatory CG: Zoom))
“This is why this is not self-help. This is a tool in the hands of a well-trained clinician.”
((NARRATOR))
Certainly, a hard medicine for a hard problem.
Deana Mitchell for VOA News
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
