Step Inside to Heal: Dr. Skip Rizzo’s VR & AI Breakthroughs for Trauma & Mental Wellness
Discover how Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo, a pioneering psychologist and leading researcher in virtual reality, is revolutionizing trauma and mental health treatment. As the Director for Medical Virtual Reality at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Dr. Rizzo has dedicated over 30 years to designing, developing, and evaluating groundbreaking VR systems for psychological, cognitive, and motor rehabilitation.
In this insightful session, Dr. Rizzo shares his journey, sparked by observing the enduring suffering of Vietnam veterans, and how this led him to develop powerful tools for healing. Learn about his impactful work, including:
• The Brave Mind Project: Explore the VR exposure therapy application specifically designed for combat-related PTSD in post-9/11 service members and veterans, which has been disseminated to over 100 sites. This system has also been retooled to address PTSD from military sexual trauma and to provide stress resilience training prior to combat deployment.
• The Science of VR Healing: Understand how VR environments leverage extinction learning, allowing patients to confront and reprocess difficult emotional memories in a safe, controlled space, leading to their reconsolidation as less traumatic. Dr. Rizzo explains how clinicians, using real-time control panels, can precisely adjust virtual elements (like time of day, sounds, or events) to pace exposure, making it an emotionally evocative technology that engages patients more deeply than traditional methods. This approach has shown particular efficacy for individuals with comorbid depression and PTSD.
• Beyond PTSD: Witness the versatility of VR in testing and training attention, memory, and executive function, as well as in physical rehabilitation post-stroke and traumatic brain injury. Discover how VR is being developed for social and vocational interaction in persons with autistic spectrum disorder and for addressing civilian trauma (e.g., sexual trauma scenarios in everyday settings).
• The Future with AI: Get a glimpse into the next frontier of mental wellness with Battle Buddy, a conversational AI virtual human app designed to support veteran mental health and reduce suicide risk. Dr. Rizzo envisions AI rapidly creating customized VR content, potentially allowing patients to co-create their trauma narratives in real-time, and enhancing the engagement of mobile health apps.
• Breaking Down Barriers: Learn how VR can attract individuals hesitant to seek traditional care, acting as an appealing “toe in the water” for therapy. Dr. Rizzo discusses innovative delivery models, including self-help VR at home under clinical supervision and remote clinician-patient interaction within the virtual world. He also highlights the need for centralized content repositories and standardized training to make VR a mainstream clinical tool.
Dr. Rizzo’s work emphasizes that while technology is a powerful enabler, the human connection and therapeutic alliance with a clinician remain paramount in the healing journey. Join us to explore how these technological advancements are empowering individuals to overcome fear and anxiety, fostering resilience, and transforming mental wellness for a better future.
Learn more about Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo’s work:
• USC Institute for Creative Technologies
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