An Immersive Virtual Reality Mobile Platform for Self-Attachment

摘要

Psychotherapy is among the most effective techniques for combating mental health issues, and virtual reality is beginning to be explored as a way to enhance the efficacy of various psychotherapeutic treatments. In this paper we propose an immersive virtual reality mobile platform for Self-Attachment psychotherapy. Under the Self-Attachment therapeutic framework, the causes of disorders such as chronic anxiety and depression are traced back to the quality of the individual's attachment with their primary caregiver during childhood. Our proposed platform aims to assist the user in enhancing their capacities for self-regulation of emotion, by means of earning secure attachment through the experience of positive attachment interactions, missed in their childhood. In the virtual environment provided by the platform, the adult-self of the user learns to create and strengthen an affectional and supportive bond with the inner-child. It is hypothesised that by long term potentiation and neuroplasticity, the user gradually develops new neural pathways and matures into an effective secure attachment object for the inner-child, thereby enabling the self-regulation of emotions.