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VR and Film/Video-Based Therapy and the HTC Vive’s potential

As VR evolves, it is important to look at where its roots are and why we need technology in therapy. So much of Film/Video-based therapy involves movement as well as traditional expressive art therapies. In addition, Psychologists, unlike art therapists, cannot spend a lot of time setting up and taking down green screen backdrops. VR allows one to make movies without the interference of too many technicalities. Notice the HTC VIVE video (featuring SteamVR) starts with the use of a green screen and moves away from it to a home setting without the screen.

TECHNOLOGY "The use of technology in psychotherapy is a relatively new adventure. The detached and emotionless experience that computers can offer seems at odds with the emotionally rich human response that therapists are trained to provide. By using green screen technology in therapy sessions, therapists clients use the computer not as an objective object, but an integral tool. The computer, the green screen, the camera, and the software all become the art materials that express the inner workings of clients’ psyches. Simply put, the setup operates as follows: A camera films a client in front of the green screen. This camera is connected to a computer that holds the images that the client would like to enter. This composite image of the client in his or her virtual environment is then displayed on a TV screen (or monitor or projection) so that the client can then see it and interact with it (see HTC Below)
Ehinger, J. (2015). Filming the Fantasy: Green Screen Technology from Novelty to Psychotherapy. In Cohen, J. L., Johnson, J. L., & Orr, P. P. (2015).
Video and filmmaking as psychotherapy: research and practice. New York: Routledge. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315769851 Virtual Reality - SteamVR featuring the HTC Vive. (2016, April 5). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYfNzhLXYGc.





Ehinger Images (all) 4.1-4.5

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Joshua L Cohen Ph.D.. Dr. Joshua Lee Cohen is a Media Psychologist, a film/video editor, and Author/Co-Editor of the groundbreaking book Video and Filmmaking as Psychotherapy: Research and Practice. He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 2013 from Pacifica Graduate Institute. In 2007 He received a Master’s in Science in General Psychology from Walden University and a BA in Film and Anthropology from Colorado College in 1998 where he hosted a seminar on the use of film in therapy from a Dr. Gary Solomon who was pioneering Cinematherapy™. Dr. Cohen trained as an editor as an intern at an ABC news affiliate and later at a training facility in Burbank California. Trained as an Avid and Final Cut Pro editor in Burbank, CA, he both consulted and worked on several high profile projects with filmmakers such as Patrick Swayze and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Doug Pray. In addition to his educational background, he was a university instructor since 2010 teaching introductory psychology and Positive Psychology. His clinical experience so far has been with dual diagnosis chemical-dependent populations as well as DCFS and families who were court-ordered and with addictions in inpatient settings. He has worked with several populations including community mental health, hospital settings, and private practice.He has worked with many different kinds of disorders within the DSM, most of which are suffering from trauma, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. Dr. Cohen has presented his dissertation research on film based therapy at many conventions, universities, and hospitals. Dr. Cohen is also currently on staff at the Kolnoam video therapy school in Israel and he is based in Long Beach, CA