Doctors in the United States have put a virtual environment to a remarkable use. The double-handle of physically “cancelling” the visual / audible stimulus that can trigger fear and heighten the sensations of pain together with the more subtle psychological factor of placing the user into a “cool” environment far removed from any association with the trauma he faced is extremely clever.
The medical potential of virtual worlds, at least for those who can afford / have access to such treatment, really is staggering, and move something like World Builder – which some find “creepy” or manipulative – into a more practical and achievable use, the benefits of which cannot be denied.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 