PTSD Relief through Virtual Iraq

With nearly twenty percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the Department of Defense is testing Virtual Iraq, which utilizes a modified version of the popular video game Full Spectrum Warrior to bombard the senses with not only sight and sound, but also that most potent of memory triggers, scent.
The prolonged sensory exposure therapy involves having the user revisit the source of their trauma until they are able to disconnect the memory from their reactions to the memory, a long-established therapeutic technique known as exposure therapy. While realistic graphics and booming bombs are delivered through virtual reality goggles and large speakers, the aromas of gunpowder, burning smoke, diesel fuel, body odors, exotic spices and roast mutton are wafted under the patient’s nose.
“I’m very conscious about making any grand claims about this treatment yet because there is such a small group of patients,” says Skip Rizzo, a psychologist at the University of Southern California and co-creator of the ground breaking program. “But the early results have been encouraging.”