Virtual Reality brings therapy to PTSD Patients

Imagine a virtual world where U.S. soldiers can walk the roads of Iraq with a standard issued M-4 in hand, feel the shockwave from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, experience the feeling of being ambushed by Iraqi forces and then smell the scent of gunpowder from fired weapons after the battle is finished. Dr. Greg Reger, a clinical psychologist at the Telehealth and Technology Center of the United States Department of Defense Center of Excellence, is utilizing such a world. Created by developers at the Institute of Creative Technology at the University of Southern California, Reger does not use this virtual world to train soldiers for deployment, but rather to help them after coming home.