Exposure therapy has long been a method for helping clients address contexts and scenarios that are distressing. For clients who have a fear of elevators or agoraphobia, creating situations in which the client may learn to address their fears may not pose a problem. For others whose situational fears are dangerous or otherwise difficult to recreate in therapy sessions, virtual reality therapy provides a means through which exposure may be created.

Virtual reality therapy shows particular promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for individuals exposed to war or violence. It has been applied with civilians as well as military personnel, and with equipment as simple as projectors and headphones to head-mounted displays, controllers shaped like rifles, olfactory inputs, and environments that vibrate (Motraghi et al., 2014). Likewise, virtual reality therapy may be useful in treatment with addiction, where exposure to situations or substances may pose too great a risk of release at a particular point in time. For instance, treatment with a recovering alcoholic might include a virtual bar scene.

For this Discussion, you consider how you might incorporate virtual reality therapy into CBT/REBT, specifically. How could you analyze clients’ thoughts and fears? How could clients challenge their negative thoughts or irrational beliefs in a virtual session?

_{Reference: Motraghi, T., Seim, R., Meyer, E., & Morissete, S. (2014). Virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A methodological review using CONSORT guidelines. Journal of Clinical Psychology 70(3), 197–208.}

To Prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources as well as the virtual reality media programs.
• Search the Walden library for articles to support the incorporation of virtual reality therapy with CBT/REBT.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

Post by Day 4 your explanation of how virtual reality therapy can be integrated into CBT/REBT. Use the articles you found in your search as well as your Learning Resources to support your post.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. Use proper APA format and citations.