Virtual Reality Technologies in Modeling and Managing Human Stress Response

Virtual reality technology has become one of the most actively used tools in psychological science and practice in the last decade. The active development of virtual reality has led to an increase in their accessibility as a research instrument. New technical solutions have improved the quality of virtual environments and minimized possible discomfort for users during immersion in virtual worlds. The use of this technology has proved particularly effective in the study of complex psychological and psychophysiological constructs, which include human stress response. The aim of this study was to consider the existing methods and techniques of using virtual reality for modeling and managing human stress response. The tasks were to highlight the features of such approaches, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as to identify the most effective of them. Examples of integration of virtual reality technologies with exposure therapy, biofeedback, eye movements desensitization and reprocessing techniques were chosen as the main subject of consideration. As a result of the analysis, it was found that common to different ways of using virtual technologies in the tasks of stress management and modeling stress reactions of varying degrees of intensity is the possibility of creating a controlled and repeatable virtual environment, which allows you to adjust the degree of exposure to stressors and the environment for an accurate study of the individual reaction of participants. The second important factor in this case is the possibility of implementing active behavior by the person himself, immersed in a virtual environment. It is also noted that the complex application of a set of different techniques allows a person to better understand their reactions to stress, develop self-regulation and techniques for reducing anxiety in virtual reality. Thus, the use of virtual reality in the development of effective approaches to stress response management is, in general, a unique example of the integration of such digital and modern technology with classical psychotherapeutic practices.