Research

Addictologists consider that virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) offers patients a hybrid environment, where they can simultaneously be within the secure walls of the hospital (a bubble in which ordinary life is almost put on hold) and outside the hospital, in situations that could lead to relapse. They see it as a means to minimise the stark opposition between inside and outside that characterises hospitalisation and to give patients the power to take action for themselves by allowing them to train virtually.