Recommendations for use
CHILDREN
- When using emotive performances techniques, do remember to give a good introduction making it feel like a game. Psicobot will naturally give a clear explanation on how to “play” but don’t forget to give him a brief introduction. You could let the child meet Psicobot in video format, let him watch a Thor or Star Trek clip showing the child who teleportation is. Practise using the reinforcement “gesture” and say “Teleportation to…”: You could get the child to look at the mobile at the same time (before putting on the virtual reality glasses) so that the child already knows what movement he needs to make. Also practise naming the places the child can go to before beginning the game (training room, living room, bathroom, hall, bedroom).
- Adapt the room to each session where the intervention is carried out. In general, feeling disorientated is common when wearing the glasses and feeling familiar with the room is always advisable, for example touching the seat with their calves when standing up. When using the emotive performances technique with children this is of utmost importance: getting them to play out “superhero” will make them get into the role in a jiffy!
- Asking for a brief summary on what the child has understood is advisable, after listening to Psicobot’s instructions, and before beginning “the game”. Clarify and doubts or misunderstandings at this point.
- If a child asks why he/she cannot go to the kitchen, bathroom or attic, tell him/her that these zones have a force field that is blocking teleportation, and Psicobot is looking for ways to unblock them…
- If at any time the child plays a game “unenthusiastically” or is not “motivated”, let the child know they are not concentrating. And as a result, the counterconditioning is not working properly. Tell the child to copy the gesture they practised at the beginning of the session better to make it work.
- The effect of the teleportation will be fascinating to the child when he/she looks up down and down. Try to make sure the child looks up or down when making the “lively” movement associated with teleportation.
- Make up games you can use during VR that parents can practise in vivo at home. For example finding a hidden object without them knowing (“Do not turn on lights!”), counting the objects in the rooms where it’s getting darker and darker, finding an object that we have requested, starting in the training area (e.g the tokens chart), playing hide and seek: where the child hides in one of the rooms (e.g lying down on the bed) asking them questions and he/she responds with hot or cold until we guess correctly. Try to be imaginative and let the child suggest the activities of interest.
- If you use the token economy don’t forget to plan the intervention well which will in turn be very useful in setting the objectives between the work done at the consultation and the work done at the home of the minor.
ADULTS
- Helping the patient by introducing the items you are going to work on, before you start to work on the VR, is always a good way of starting the activation, and thus stimulates a sense of presence. Tell your patient that they are going to work at night, at home, in a storm and that they will sometimes be situated close to the window in the living room.
- Remember the general sound in the platform will help you adjust the exposure. For example, you can lower the sound to lower the storm intensity in the case of storms.
- Be imaginative! Use the different environments that Psious provides with the climate configuration settings (driving, generalized anxiety, travelling on a plane) to promote the generalized habituation.
GENERAL
- You can use the environments such as “travelling on a plane” so as to gain more flexibility in situations.
- You can use the “darkness and storms” environment to help train diaphragmatic breathing lying down on the bed, at night, to the sound of rain.
Darkness environment
If you use the environment for sleep training, you can also give the patient prompts to increase the immersion.
For example:
- You are lying in your bed after a long day of work/school. What do you think?
- You have gone to bed late today and know you will have to get up early tomorrow.
You can use this environment to expose your patient to a sleeping situation while working with them, develop good sleep habits and practice avoiding behaviors and thoughts that keep them from sleeping well.