Virtual reality supports psychotherapy
Virtual reality can represent a valid aid in psychotherapy, both for the therapist and for the patient. Different types of ailments have benefited from the inclusion of this tool in treatment, from anxiety, to eating disorders, up to stress management techniques. Virtual reality is composed of experiential and technological factors capable of leading to a radical change within the experience that the subject makes of himself. More and more research looking at the potential developments of this tool in the context of psychotherapy. The history of this medical instrument began when, in 1989, Jaron Lanier coined the term 'Virtual Reality' and founded the First Research Company on virtual reality, VPL Research. Within a couple of years, the use of this medium was extended to the field of psychology and the first articles of research on the use of virtual reality within the assessment and psychological treatment protocols were published (Rothbaum et al . 1995; North, North & Coble, 1997).