Virtual reality exposure therapy offers progressive treatment for alcohol dependence, by confronting the patient with situations that trigger the urge to drink, in a controlled environment.
C2Care supports practitioners and addictologists in this process.
Exposure to situations that trigger the desire to drink can be relevant in supporting withdrawal. However, reproducing these situations in consultation is not always simple.
Some depend on a particular social context or the presence of other consumers, while their repetition and progression can be difficult to master outside the office.
virtual reality makes it possible to recreate some of these contexts directly in the office, in a controlled and reproducible environment.
The C2Care environments allow you to recreate situations associated with the desire to consume and gradually integrate them during the sessions.
At home, the patient may be confronted alone with this daily trigger. In the context of an evening or public place, he may be exposed to other consumers and to the social pressure which maintains the desire to drink.
These situations can be repeated and gradually integrated into the practitioner's protocol in order to work with the patient on craving, as well as the thoughts, emotions and automatisms associated with consumption.
VRET
The practitioner seats the patient on a swivel chair and fits them with the virtual reality headset
Using the control interface, the practitioner selects the environment suited to the session's goals and starts the exposure.
During immersion, the practitioner supports the patient using a visual feed and can adjust the exposure scene in real time
Environments
Each environment recreates a consumption situation linked to alcohol addiction, for progressive and controlled exposure.
Alcohol is present in an apartment, during the day or in an everyday context.
The situation of a drink at the bar allows you to work on temptation in a public place.
The presence of alcohol in a nightclub adds music, interactions and social solicitations.
The patient encounters alcoholic beverages in a supermarket.
An evening at home allows you to work on proposals and social pressure.
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Solène Montègue
Neuropsychiatrist
The developments C2Care is currently integrating into the interface are very promising and meet the established therapeutic objectives [...]: offering tailored exercises that can be adapted to levels of dependency, cognitive disorders, and patients' real-time responses.
Samia Lahya
Psychiatrist
With the acquisition of new equipment [...] and updates to the C2Care programs, its use has expanded even further: OCD, phobias, addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD. Ten years later, it is no longer merely a curiosity, but a genuine therapeutic tool that is stimulating, innovative, and effective.
Sabrina Gineau
Psychologist
I incorporate this technology into brief therapies lasting two to four months, with one session per week. I begin with relaxation techniques and, when patients are ready, we proceed. It makes it much easier to expose people to these situations.
Noël Schepers
Psychologist
Virtual reality can enrich and personalize treatment, facilitate patient-therapist collaboration in developing the treatment plan, and add a playful dimension. The possibilities for development and application are immense and extend to every area of psychology and psychotherapy.
Mélanie Boucherot
Psychologist
The value of this technology [C2Care] lies in offering new possibilities for therapeutic support and expanding the range of tools available to healthcare professionals.
François Maltese
Psychologist
For several months, we have been using virtual reality in habituation therapies. Before the procedure, patients are progressively and immersively exposed to their future medical environment and psychologically prepared to accept it.
Dre Marie-Claude Roberge
Doctor of Psychology
Since 2022, we have been using virtual reality therapy with the C2Care platform to simulate exposure to aversive stimuli and triggers that cause anxiety. Exposure therapy is used to treat specific phobias, including fear of heights, enclosed spaces, flying, dogs, emetophobia, and many others.
Dr Laure Du Pouget
Urologist
Using a virtual reality headset for self-hypnosis during prostate biopsies creates a calm atmosphere for a procedure that can sometimes be uncomfortable, even with effective local anesthesia...
Delphine Py
Psychologist
Thank you to C2Care for providing innovative virtual reality solutions to support CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)! A major step forward in making exposure exercises easier and helping our patients overcome their phobias.
Ghiţă et al. — Randomized clinical trial evaluating exposure to virtual reality cues for patients with treatment-resistant alcohol use disorder
ALCO-VR Project: A randomized clinical trial evaluating virtual reality cue-exposure Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Alcohol Use Disorder patients
Zhao et al. — Cue Exposure and Virtual Reality Aversion Therapy for Alcohol Dependence
Virtual Reality-Based Cue Exposure and Aversion Therapy for Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Piccoli et al. — Effect of stress on the relationship between the search for relief and craving induced by cues in virtual reality
Effect of stress on the relationship between relief-seeking and cue-induced alcohol craving and anxiety: A virtual reality cue exposure study
Nègre et al. — Effectiveness of virtual reality as exposure therapy for alcohol use
Virtual reality efficiency as exposure therapy for alcohol use: A systematic literature review
Young et al. — Isradipine augmentation of virtual reality cue exposure therapy for tobacco craving
Isradipine augmentation of virtual reality cue exposure therapy for tobacco craving: a triple-blind randomized controlled trial
Discover more
Depending on your patients' needs, other areas may also be relevant to explore. Discover the different environments available in C2Care.
Create a free account to discover all exposure situations and subscribe directly online
FAQ
Find the answers to the questions most asked by practitioners about this virtual reality support.
The patient is gradually exposed to situations that trigger their desire to drink, such as evenings or meals, in immersive environments controlled by the practitioner. This graduated exposure helps reduce cravings and build resistance over sessions.
Patients wishing to reduce or stop their alcohol consumption can benefit from the virtual reality exposure. The practitioner constructs a course adapted to the social and personal situations that maintain dependence.
C2Care has been testing its virtual reality software in hospitals since 2016. This clinical experience has made it possible to refine the immersive environments, including those dedicated to alcohol addiction, and to adapt them to the needs of practitioners and their patients.
A virtual environment is an immersive scene reproducing a consumption situation. The practitioner adjusts his difficulty gradually in order to expose the patient to a controlled, secure setting adapted to his cessation journey.
Virtual reality is not dangerous in itself. It can cause cybersickness in around 10% of people, with temporary nausea or disorientation. Exposure remains graduated and constantly supervised by a practitioner to limit this risk.
Psychologists, psychiatrists and addictologists can integrate virtual reality into their practice. It can be used both in CHU hospitals and clinics and in private practices, depending on the needs of the practitioner and their patients.
The interactive aspect promotes patient engagement and adherence to treatment. Adaptable environments make it possible to precisely adjust each exercise to the person's journey, while maintaining complete control of the exposure in real time.
Yes. Apart from sessions supervised by the practitioner, the patient can repeat the exposure independently, at home, as many times as necessary to consolidate what they have learned and strengthen their ability to manage consumption situations.
Yes, all of C2Care's immersive environments are grouped together in a single application. The practitioner can thus move from one addiction to another and personalize their care without changing tools or platforms.
Our technical service can be reached via live chat directly from your control platform. In the event of a problem with the VR headset, a diagnosis is made and the defective equipment is replaced within 48 hours if necessary, to ensure continuity of care.
The technical service can be reached via live chat from the control platform. In the event of a problem with the headset, the team establishes a diagnosis and organizes, if necessary, the return or replacement of the equipment according to the applicable service conditions.
According to the France 2024 Public Health Barometer, 22.2% of adults aged 18 to 79 declared having exceeded the lower risk consumption benchmarks during the previous seven days. This overcoming alone does not mean that a person is addicted.
The care is personalized and can combine medical monitoring, psychological support, psychosocial interventions and, when indicated, medicinal treatments. A virtual reality exposure can complete this course to work on triggers and risky situations.
The treating physician, an addictologist or a CSAPA can offer an assessment and support. Alcool Info Service also offers anonymous and confidential listening by telephone at 0 980 980 930 and online.
