Researchers at University of Cambridge in collaboration with Ninja Theory, a local video game company, have developed a Virtual Reality video game that would teach people to cope with everyday anxiety using breathing techniques. Using Virtual Reality as tool for treating anxiety can be a huge breakthrough for mental well being.
The tool is based on the premise that therapists usually teach techniques in static and disengaged ways, which might not prove to be useful for people in their actual situation. The game induces a setting where people can experience real time anxiety and apply those breathing techniques.
Lucie Daniel-Watanabe, student leading the research said, “ We are looking at anxiety as a thing that most people experience, as opposed to a specific anxiety disorder, trying to teach emotion regulation techniques that could be useful to most people at some point in their life.”