Fear of dirt and contamination is treated through graduated exposure to avoided situations, in virtual reality. According to Eric Malbos, psychiatrist, virtual reality is 80% effective against phobias, with benefits maintained more than a year after treatment.
C2Care supports practitioners in progressive and secure care.
Exposure to situations perceived as dirty or contaminating can be relevant in supporting the patient. However, reproducing these situations in consultation is not always simple.
Some depend on a real public place, the presence of third parties or a context that the practitioner does not control, while their repetition and progression remain difficult to control.
Virtual reality makes it possible to recreate some of these contexts directly in the office, in a controlled and reproducible environment.
The C2Care environments make it possible to recreate situations associated with the perceived risk of contamination and to gradually integrate them during the sessions.
In public places or transportation, the patient may be exposed to surfaces or crowds that they usually avoid. In the context of an evening or public speaking, he may be confronted with the social contact that he fears for fear of germs.
These situations can be repeated and gradually integrated into the practitioner's protocol in order to work with the patient on anticipatory anxiety, as well as thoughts, emotions and washing rituals associated with contamination.
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 situation perceived as dirty or contaminating, for progressive and secure exposure.
The patient is exposed to a toilet in a hospital environment.
The dirtiness of the garbage room can be increased gradually.
The patient practices handling and throwing waste in the dedicated scene.
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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.
MĂ©lanie 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.
Rolvien et al. — Virtual reality exposure with response prevention in obsessive-compulsive disorder
Virtual Exposure With Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial
Inozu et al. — Integration of virtual reality in the treatment of OCD: comparison with traditional exposure for contamination obsessions
Integrating Virtual Reality Into OCD Treatment: Comparing Virtual Reality and Traditional Exposure Techniques in a Clinical Sample for Contamination-Related OCD
Miegel et al. — Mixed Reality Exposure Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Exposure Therapy in Mixed Reality for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Lohse et al. — Safety and adverse effects of virtual reality exposure therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder
Examining the safety and side effects of exposure therapy in virtual reality for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Javaherirenani et al. — Virtual reality exposure with response prevention compared to in vivo exposure for OCD with contamination obsessions
Virtual reality exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients with contamination subtype in comparison with in vivo exposure therapy: a randomized clinical controlled trial
Discover more
Depending on your patients' needs, other areas may also be relevant to explore. Discover the different environments available in C2Care.
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FAQ
Find the answers to the questions most asked by practitioners about this virtual reality support.
The patient is gradually exposed to situations perceived as dirty or contaminating, in immersive environments controlled by the practitioner. This graduated exposure helps reduce anxiety and associated washing and avoidance rituals over sessions.
Yes, fear of contamination is one of the most common forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Graduated exposure in virtual reality helps to gradually reduce the washing compulsions and avoidance behaviors that invade the patient's daily life.
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 the fear of contamination, and to gradually adapt them to the real needs of practitioners and their patients.
A virtual environment is an immersive scene reproducing an anxiety-provoking situation for the patient. The practitioner adjusts the difficulty gradually in order to expose the person to a fully controlled, secure setting adapted to their pace of progress.
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 permanently supervised by a practitioner in order to limit this risk.
Some users experience cybersickness, which affects around 10% of people exposed to virtual reality. It manifests itself as nausea or a feeling of disorientation, most often temporary, and diminishes as exposure is adapted.
Psychologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists 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 allow each exercise to be precisely adjusted to the individual's needs, while maintaining complete control of exposure in real time.
Yes, all of C2Care's immersive environments are grouped together in a single application. The practitioner can thus move from one disorder 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.
