Page 650 - Total War on PTSD

delivery and resulting patient responses, offering clinical assessment, treatment and research options that are not readily available via traditional methods.
This chapter will provide an introductory definition of the technology and provide some discussion about our efforts to apply VR as a tool for conducting exposure therapy for PTSD.
What is Virtual Reality?
The concept and definition of Virtual Reality has been subject to debate by scientists and clinicians over the years. VR has been very generally defined as a way for humans to visualize, manipulate, and interact with computers and extremely complex data. From this baseline perspective, VR can be seen as an advanced form of human-computer interaction that allows a user to more naturally interact with computers beyond what is typically afforded with standard mouse and keyboard interface devices. Moreover, some VR formats enable users to become immersed within synthetic computer-generated virtual environments. However, VR is not defined or limited by any one technological approach or hardware set-up.
The creation of an engaged VR user experience can be accomplished using combinations of a wide variety of interaction devices, sensory display systems, and content presented in the virtual environment. Thus, there are three common variations for how VR can be created and used.
Non-immersive VR is the most basic format and is similar to the experience of playing a modern computer or console video game. Content is delivered on a
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