Christmas is a joyous time of year where we celebrate and for the most part, drink ourselves into complete oblivion. But for those of us unlucky enough to be spending the festive season in a hospital bed, it can straight-up suck.
In fact, a recent study by Lifeline found that 76 percent of Australians reckon this time of year is actually the loneliest for some, with 43 percent saying they’ve been personally affected.
For that very reason, Medibank has teamed up with virtual reality specialists, Liminal, to create a VR experience to combat the blues associated with being stuck in hospital.
Placing you around a cozy campfire in outback Australia, users can choose from a list of stories told by the different companions sitting with you. Far from just a neat little toy, all of the aspects within the experience are there for a reason.
Seriously, an actual team of psychologists planned everything from the colours of the landscape to the ears on the dog sitting with you. Together with an ex-Pixar employee, the whole thing is like a warm blanket projected directly into your eyes.
To get a better idea of how the experience was birthed, we spoke with lead neuroscientist and neuropsychologist, Sami Yamin. He says it was his interest in new technologies and rehabilitation that lead him into crafting VR experiences as a form of therapy.
“We found that there was just a really interesting area that could be using virtual reality – which was about the time virtual reality started to gain momentum as well – so we started creating real environments with these sort of therapeutic outcomes,” he told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“As part of the psych team – and there’s actually three psychologists on the team at Luminal – we’ve looked at how virtual reality therapy can be used as part of sort of a comprehensive rehabilitation platform across both physical disorders as well as more psychological disorders.”
As for why the experience is the way it is, Sami says much of it is rooted in evolutionary psychology. “We’re targeting loneliness and the idea of social inclusion and, I guess, the things that fit well with social inclusion,” he said.
“The camp fire, historically and cross-culturally, is where communities have gathered for centuries to tell their stories and to meet. We liked that from an evolutionary psychology perspective and we also liked the idea of bringing the outside in.”
“We know that nature and natural settings, natural sounds have a good effect on people’s mental health and their wellbeing.”
It’s pretty rad to know that in the short time VR has been around, it’s already made a positive impact on those who need it most, and Sami reckons it’s only going to get better.
“We actually wrote a journal article on it earlier this year looking at where we can go with this, so we’re just in the process of exploring how best this can be used, but I’m relatively confident that VR will be used all the way from assessment through to treatment and rehabilitation as well,” he said.
Despite only being rolled out over the last couple of days, the response from patients has been incredibly positive. It’s been so popular that some hospitals have even had to develop a roster to ensure everyone gets a fair go. Not bloody bad, m8.
We wish Sami and his team all the best in continuing to help others through the wonders of VR.
Photo: Luminal.
