Can VR treat fears and phobias? - 6 Minute English

[@trangdieu.18c]

VOCABULARY IN THIS VIDEO I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN VIETNAM, I hope that all the best for you ^^ 1. Escape into : to leave a place when someone is trying to catch you or stop you, or when there is a dangerous situation 2. Irrational = unreasonable : not based on clear thought or reason 3. Therapists : someone who has been trained to give a particular form of treatment for physical or mental illness 4. Acrophobia : the fear of heights 5. Clinical medicine/experience/training etc : relating to treating or testing people who are sick 6. Consciously : in a way that involves you noticing or realizing something 7. Have both feet on the ground : realistic and practical 8. Convicted sb on/of st : to prove or officially announce that someone is guilty of a crime after a trial in a law court 9. Be the embodiment of = epitome : someone or something that represents or is very typical of an idea or quality 10. Therapeutic : making you feel calm and relaxed 11. From somebody’s perspective : way of thinking about something, especially : one which is influenced by the type of person you are or by your experiences → viewpoint 12. Phobia : strong and irrational fear of something; a type of anxiety disorder 13. Simulation : pretend copy of something that looks real but is not real 14. Habitual : the usual, typical way something works 15. Drop your defences : relax and trust people by lowering the psychological : barriers you have built up to protect yourself 16. First-person : from the perspective of someone who actually experiences an event in person 17. Novel : completely new and original; not like anything that has been experienced before

[@minhhaquang9669]

Thanks

[@minhgiai]

Thanks so much! I heard and learned the lesson more easily.

[@bbclearningenglish]

Hey guys! We hope you enjoyed that! If you like technology, check out our episode about Super Mario: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYbGf4t3gdCSnLM

[@mariiamykhailenko2498]

Introduction VR allows you to put on a headset and escape into a completely different world. In this programme, we’ll be hearing about some of the ways VR is helping people overcome phobias and even tackling serious problems like domestic violence. Rob and Sam discuss the topic and teach you related vocabulary along the way. This week's question One of the phobias VR can help with is the fear of heights - but what is the proper name for this psychological disorder? a) alektorophobia b) arachnophobia c) acrophobia Listen to the programme to find out the answer. Vocabulary phobia strong and irrational fear of something; a type of anxiety disorder simulation pretend copy of something that looks real but is not real habitual the usual, typical way something works drop your defences relax and trust people by lowering the psychological barriers you have built up to protect yourself first-person from the perspective of someone who actually experiences an event in person novel completely new and original; not like anything that has been experienced before Transcript Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript. Rob Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Rob. Sam And I’m Sam. Here at 6 Minute English, we love to chat about new technology. One of our favourite topics is VR or virtual reality, and the ways it’s shaping life in the future. Rob VR allows you to put on a headset and escape into a completely different world. In this programme, we’ll be hearing about some of the ways VR is tackling serious problems like domestic violence, and helping people overcome phobias - the strong and irrational fear of something. And, of course, we’ll be learning some useful related vocabulary along the way. Sam People who use VR often describe the experience as intense. Putting on the headset makes you feel you’re really there, in whatever new world you’ve chosen. And it’s this intensity that inventors, scientists and therapists are using to help people overcome their problems. Rob We’ll hear more soon, but first I have a question for you, Sam. One of the phobias VR can help with is the fear of heights - but what is the proper name for this psychological disorder? Is the fear of heights called: a) alektorophobia? b) arachnophobia? or c) acrophobia? Sam I’ll say a) alektorophobia. Rob OK, Sam. We’ll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Sam Now, if like me, you’re not very good with heights, you’ll be happy to know that a company called Oxford VR has designed a system to help with precisely that problem. In the safety of your own home, you put on a headset and are guided through a series of tasks moving you higher and higher off the ground. You start by taking an elevator to the top floor of tall building and move on harder challenges, like climbing a rope. Rob Daniel Freeman is a professor of clinical psychology at Oxford University. Listen as he explains how the VR experience works to BBC World Service programme, People Fixing the World. Daniel Freeman Even though you’re consciously aware it’s a simulation, it doesn’t stop all your habitual reactions to heights happening, and that’s really important, and that’s why it’s got such a potential to be therapeutic. The art of successful therapy, and what you can do really, really well in VR, is enable someone to drop those defences, and in VR a person is more able to drop them because they know there’s no real height there. Sam Although the VR experience seems real, the person using it knows it’s only a simulation - a pretend copy of the real thing. This gives them confidence to go higher, knowing they can’t really get hurt. Rob But although it’s simulated, the experience is real enough to trick your mind into acting in its habitual way - the way it usually, typically works. Although your brain knows you have both feet on the ground, VR is so realistic that to complete the tasks you have to drop your defences, a phrase meaning to relax and trust people by lowering the psychological barriers you have built to protect yourself. Sam Oxford VR’s ‘Fear of Heights’ experience uses VR to put people into another world, but the next project we’ll hear about takes things even further - putting people into someone else’s body. Rob In Barcelona, a VR simulation is being used in prisons to make men convicted of domestic violence aware of what it feels like to be in the position of their victims. The project, called ‘virtual embodiment’, is led by neuroscientist, Mavi Sanchez-Vives, of Barcelona’s Institute for Biomedical Research. Mavi Sanchez-Vives In a virtual world we can be someone different and have a first-person embodied perspective from the point-of-view, for example, of a different person, different gender, different age. One can go through different situations and have the experience from this totally novel perspective. Sam Many of the prisoners lack empathy for their victims. ‘Virtual embodiment’ works by giving these men the experience of abuse in the first-person - from the perspective of someone who actually experiences an event in person. Rob In VR, the men have the insults and abuse they gave to others turned back on them. It’s a novel - a new and original - experience for them, and not a pleasant one either. But the VR therapy seems to be working, and Dr Sanchez-Vives reports more and more of the prisoners successfully reintegrating into their communities after their release from prison. Sam The experience VR creates of seeing things from someone else’s point-of-view can be therapeutic, even for serious problems. And speaking of problems, what was the answer to your question, Rob? Rob I asked Sam whether the correct name for the fear of heights was alektorophobia, arachnophobia, or acrophobia? Sam I guessed it was alektorophobia. Rob Which was the wrong answer. Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens! The correct answer was c) acrophobia - a fear of heights, and a good example of a phobia. Sam Let’s recap the rest of the vocabulary we’ve learned, starting with simulation - a pretend copy of something that looks real but is not. Rob Habitual describes the usual, typical way something works. Sam The phrase ‘drop your defences’ means to relax and trust something by lowering your psychological barriers. Rob In the first-person means talking about something from the perspective of the person who actually experienced an event themselves. Sam And finally, the adjective novel means completely new and original, unlike anything that has happened before. Rob Well, once again, our six minutes are really - and virtually - over! Goodbye for now! Sam Bye!

[@alexandermagnus6297]

Please more content guys I'm out of content because I've been watching everything of you 😀🙂 thanks a lot guys 😀

[@bbclearningenglish]

We're really happy to hear that you're enjoying out content :)!

[@mohammedfathihassabo8268]

Finally, I've been waiting for along time. Thanks a lot

[@dilarmmmdli5586]

I watch each of your video.Thanks🇦🇿🇦🇿

[@isma5649]

I ve never tried it before it seems intresting though as I have acrophobia. It's wourth the try I mean if the price is raisonable as well. Thanks a lot.

[@bbclearningenglish]

You're very welcome!

[@gdgdgdhrhrhrh2954]

Thanks you

[@benjaminestrada8788]

Thanks a lot. Greetings from Guerrero Mecivo.

[@romeubraga5942]

Very nice video, thanks.

[@tgchan]

Thank you/

[@alexandermagnus6297]

Hi Rob!👋🏻😀

[@shahnewazchy7044]

*virtual reality ( VR) *intensity *fear of hide *feat and ground *novel

[@comment6670]

Could someone teach me one grammatical thing on this transcript ?: In VR, the men have the insults and abuse they gave to others turned back on them. I really don't understand what and how "turned back on them" modifies. Thank you.

[@bbclearningenglish]

Hi 👋. Rob and Sam are saying that prisoners insulted and abused others. The VR turned these insults and abuse 'back on them'. So, the prisoners received the same abuse that they had given out - This helped them to experience the abuse themselves and therefore more aware of how hurtful it was. Hope that helps?!

[@comment6670]

@@bbclearningenglish Thank you for replying!! So, the last "them" means "the man", not "others", doesn't it?

[@Troy-ol5fk]

Black mirror

[@RaquelPerez-pr6fn]

👏👏👍👍

[@alexandermagnus6297]

First 🙂