AN APPLICATION WHICH COULD BE HELPFUL IN TREATING THE FEAR OF

DEATH

Before using VR:

Therapist should examine the patient before inviting the person to the virtual reality by:

using questionnaires that allow to verify this, for instance Collet-Lester Fear of Death Scale, which is a multidimensional tool for measuring four dimensions related to death anxiety.

then conducting an interview with the patient and determining what causes most of the anxiety, what are the trigger factors, what reminds the patient of the death, what frightens him most

finally, based on this knowledge the therapist should adjust virtual environments (the person does not have to experience every environment from the application) to this particular person (such as different parameters)

Application for treating fear of death

Module 1. Anxiety of death Module 2. Anxiety of of other people somebody’s own death

Module 1. Anxiety of death of other people

Four environments, each with its distinct look and tasks:

park room funeral home cementary

PARK

Elements typically found in places like that: green grass on the ground, trees and bushes around, a walkway with benches on the sides.

The sound of birds singing and moving leaves in order to create a relaxing and familiar feeling.

Taking a walk during the day, possibility to come close to the plants, sit on the bench etc.

While walking confrontation with the symbols of death like white lily and dead body of small bird.

Possibility of symbols manipulation by a therapist in order to fit better into the fear of a patient that is receiving treatment (adding additional symbols, like for instance white roses, changing the size, color, number of these symbols and also the frequency with which they appear).

ROOM

Environment for people that actually experienced the loss of loved one, whose loved ones are seriously ill or even those who are afraid of the death of someone close.

Room that will be furnished in a way that is supposed to be as similar to a living place of a patient as possible

The remnants of a recently deceased close person. Changing the items present in the room in accordance with

patient, for example, putting photographs of close ones in a picture frame, a book they have liked to read, their personal things (like a watch or sunglasses) or their clothes (which can hang from a chair).

The patient will be capable of exploring the room, experiencing the objects, touching and moving them.

Possibility of changing the part of the day. This environment’s goal is to help get used to the idea of

emptiness after a close one perishes.

FUNERAL HOME

Funeral home, which consists of one bigger room (with chairs and a walkway between them leading to a closed coffin decorated with flowers and candles, without religious symbols) and a small garden with white roses.

Possibility to change: the appearance of the place (the size of the funeral home, the number and type of the furniture, the size of the coffin – the number of flowers and candles, the colors), the number of people in there and the way they are clothed, etc.

Control of the sounds, such as: the rustle of leaves in the garden, the sounds of footsteps, quiet conversations, crying.

Possibility to walk through the funeral home, sit on the chairs, go close to the coffin and go outside the room, light a candle, put white rose near the coffin.

Aim: putting the patient in a place that is closely related to death (and to the funerals of other people) and let him familiarize with it.

CEMENTARY

Cemetery during the day, where the patient will be presented with a task of putting flower on the grave near to him.

The grave itself will be fully customizable and the therapist will be able to put the name of a person of patient’s choice.

In the distance a funeral will be taking place and it is up to the patient if he wants to approach it and take a closer look.

An ability to change the size and type of the grave and the tombstones (and the words written on them), the number of, flowers and candles graves in the cemetery, the colors and all parameters regarding people he could choose in the first environment and the weather (sunny day, cloudy day or rainy day).

Module 2. Anxiety of somebody’s own death

Two sub modules:

highly symbolic environment with many easily manipulated parameters

environment where a patient can observe his doppelganger

Highly symbolic environment

Supposed to resemble a highly adaptive display in vein of Emma’s World. It will allow a symbolic representation of death of the patient.

Patient should be instructed to use objects (and also sounds, music, colors, pictures, short films) that remind him of death and mortality in order to control them and familiarize with them.

He can choose objects from the application (like few types of white flowers, candles, pictures, paintings or books with covers subtly associated with death, moon, moths, hourglass with a little sand) and add his personal things.

The therapist can manipulate the environment to fit the mood of the patient changing the scenery, the part of the day and the weather. The patient should be able to discover fragments of this environment and interact with the virtual world by touching and moving things. He can also listen to his favorite music or watch a short film.

Environment where a patient can observe his doppelganger

Supposed to be modeled in a way that should resemble patient’s place of residence as closely as possible.

Doppelganger figure that is supposed to resemble patient, but an older version of him. This way patient can observe his older self doing mundane everyday tasks, like eating, sleeping or walking in the apartment. At the same time he can see a doppelganger displaying all the traits usually connected with old age, like walking with a cane, but still getting through everyday task gracefully. The exact tasks doppelganger does can be manipulated by therapist and chosen by patient.

The goal of this environment is to show a patient his old age and thus the closeness of death.

Examples of possible support techniques

Relaxation Cognitive therapy