thedrifter
06-30-07, 05:54 AM
Virtual Fallujah
KMIR 6 Palm Springs
Technology has changed the face of war... In the ways troops prepare before deployment, in the types of weapons they use during combat, and now, in the ways they re-adjust to life at home. KMIR 6 Reporter Tina Patel shows us how new virtual reality programs are taking Marines back to the streets of Iraq, so they don't have to go there in their minds anymore.
You walk through an Iraqi marketplace and suddenly find yourself drawn into combat with insurgents. You drive through the streets of Fallujah and suddenly a roadside bomb goes off ahead. It all seems like a video game, but it's not. It's a virtual reality program developed by the military to re-create the situations troops actually go through in Iraq.
"It's very similar. The sounds are the same. The situations are the same. It's almost just like being there."
Lance Corporal Joseph Hernandez should know. He spent seven months stationed at Camp Fallujah with the U.S. Marines Corps.
“My mission was security, make sure no one got hurt, make sure we kept the situation under control.”
Lance Corporal Hernandez makes it sound easy... And in the virtual world, he makes it look easy. He's connected to various bio-monitors during his virtual reality experience, but there's virtually no change in his breathing or heart rate when he encounters dangerous elements.
“It's what we gotta do, we gotta stay calm and stay in control.”
But not everyone can do that. It's estimated 15 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from some level of post traumatic stress disorder. And that's why this virtual reality program was created... Not to train troops... to treat them.
“Post traumatic stress disorder is something that's been around as long as human history. People talked about Achilles being the first example. It's had different names, shell shock, soldiers heart, Vietnam syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder.”
Lance Corporal Hernandez doesn't suffer from PTSD, which is why he was selected to simulate the virtual reality experience for our cameras. Doctors at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego didn't want to jeopardize a patient's privacy, by having us sit in on an actual treatment. But the patients currently in this program are Marines like Hernandez who have returned from combat feeling agitated, irritable, or restless.
“All of those are perfectly normal reactions. But normal doesn't always mean healthy. If you're shot, it's might be normal to bleed. But it's not always healthy. If the bleeding doesn't stop, you should seek medical attention.”
This medical attention is what clinical psychologists call exposure therapy… exposing a patient to the thing that they're afraid of, but in a non-threatening manner. There's no way to do that with the war still going on in Iraq, so virtual reality is the next best thing.
“We can bring them back to Fallujah, where we know they're not going to get hurt and in a way where we can control the experience they see. If it's too much for them, we can back up.”
Because the point is not to overwhelm patients with the sights and sounds of war. The point is to teach patients how they can deal with their stressors and then lead them into an environment where they can put those skills to use. For example, teaching deep breathing, so a patient can bring down his own heart rate when he starts feeling agitated.
Doctor Mclay allowed me to try the virtual reality program..
even putting me in a Humvee simulator that uses a vibrating platform to enhance the experience. I had no memories associated with the scenes, so for me, it was just interesting. But I could imagine how tough it would be for someone who had been to Iraq to have traumatic memories triggered by the scenes.
“It's very emotionally draining work, but the flip side is our job is to help warriors get better and that is incredibly re-energizing to me.”
Virtual reality technology is expensive, so it's not in wide use now and it's future is uncertain. But doctors in San Diego say they're pleased with the results they've seen.
“It's encouraging. It's not a panacea. I will not say that everyone has gotten perfectly better. A person's experience is their own. It's unique and what works for one person may not be perfect for another.”
But the reality in this virtual reality has impressed at least one Marine.
“I figured it'd be like a game, it wasn't. I didn't expect it to be like that was. I don't know. I was surprised.”
If you’re interested in participating in this treatment study for combat related PTSD, please contact:
Walker Peacock, MA
619-532-7454
wwpeacock@nmcsd.med.navy.mil
If you have additional questions, call
LCDR Robert Mclay
619-532-5761
Ellie
KMIR 6 Palm Springs
Technology has changed the face of war... In the ways troops prepare before deployment, in the types of weapons they use during combat, and now, in the ways they re-adjust to life at home. KMIR 6 Reporter Tina Patel shows us how new virtual reality programs are taking Marines back to the streets of Iraq, so they don't have to go there in their minds anymore.
You walk through an Iraqi marketplace and suddenly find yourself drawn into combat with insurgents. You drive through the streets of Fallujah and suddenly a roadside bomb goes off ahead. It all seems like a video game, but it's not. It's a virtual reality program developed by the military to re-create the situations troops actually go through in Iraq.
"It's very similar. The sounds are the same. The situations are the same. It's almost just like being there."
Lance Corporal Joseph Hernandez should know. He spent seven months stationed at Camp Fallujah with the U.S. Marines Corps.
“My mission was security, make sure no one got hurt, make sure we kept the situation under control.”
Lance Corporal Hernandez makes it sound easy... And in the virtual world, he makes it look easy. He's connected to various bio-monitors during his virtual reality experience, but there's virtually no change in his breathing or heart rate when he encounters dangerous elements.
“It's what we gotta do, we gotta stay calm and stay in control.”
But not everyone can do that. It's estimated 15 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from some level of post traumatic stress disorder. And that's why this virtual reality program was created... Not to train troops... to treat them.
“Post traumatic stress disorder is something that's been around as long as human history. People talked about Achilles being the first example. It's had different names, shell shock, soldiers heart, Vietnam syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder.”
Lance Corporal Hernandez doesn't suffer from PTSD, which is why he was selected to simulate the virtual reality experience for our cameras. Doctors at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego didn't want to jeopardize a patient's privacy, by having us sit in on an actual treatment. But the patients currently in this program are Marines like Hernandez who have returned from combat feeling agitated, irritable, or restless.
“All of those are perfectly normal reactions. But normal doesn't always mean healthy. If you're shot, it's might be normal to bleed. But it's not always healthy. If the bleeding doesn't stop, you should seek medical attention.”
This medical attention is what clinical psychologists call exposure therapy… exposing a patient to the thing that they're afraid of, but in a non-threatening manner. There's no way to do that with the war still going on in Iraq, so virtual reality is the next best thing.
“We can bring them back to Fallujah, where we know they're not going to get hurt and in a way where we can control the experience they see. If it's too much for them, we can back up.”
Because the point is not to overwhelm patients with the sights and sounds of war. The point is to teach patients how they can deal with their stressors and then lead them into an environment where they can put those skills to use. For example, teaching deep breathing, so a patient can bring down his own heart rate when he starts feeling agitated.
Doctor Mclay allowed me to try the virtual reality program..
even putting me in a Humvee simulator that uses a vibrating platform to enhance the experience. I had no memories associated with the scenes, so for me, it was just interesting. But I could imagine how tough it would be for someone who had been to Iraq to have traumatic memories triggered by the scenes.
“It's very emotionally draining work, but the flip side is our job is to help warriors get better and that is incredibly re-energizing to me.”
Virtual reality technology is expensive, so it's not in wide use now and it's future is uncertain. But doctors in San Diego say they're pleased with the results they've seen.
“It's encouraging. It's not a panacea. I will not say that everyone has gotten perfectly better. A person's experience is their own. It's unique and what works for one person may not be perfect for another.”
But the reality in this virtual reality has impressed at least one Marine.
“I figured it'd be like a game, it wasn't. I didn't expect it to be like that was. I don't know. I was surprised.”
If you’re interested in participating in this treatment study for combat related PTSD, please contact:
Walker Peacock, MA
619-532-7454
wwpeacock@nmcsd.med.navy.mil
If you have additional questions, call
LCDR Robert Mclay
619-532-5761
Ellie