Last updated 2024-06-13T18:22:28Z

BraveMind

VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) collaborated with SoldierStrong to provide VA medical facilities with a virtual reality (VR) program that helps Veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover from these challenges. BraveMind, developed by Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo and his team at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, is a VR therapy program that leverages cutting-edge technology to make therapy more effective and more appealing to Veterans and patients. Dr. Reger, collaborating with Dr. Skip Rizzo, wanted to make sure BraveMind could be available for Veterans with diverse experiences, so he brought the BraveMind prototype with him as he deployed to Iraq to get real-time feedback from soldiers to make the program look and feel as real as possible. Following the deployment, he worked with the BraveMind team to incorporate his learnings into the final product that Veterans benefit from today. The VR program is designed to ensure that Veterans and patients are able to experience this unique form of therapy in a safe and supportive environment, ultimately leading to a progressive healing process. To date, 28 VA medical facilities are utilizing BraveMind to support Veterans experiencing PTS and PTSD to recover from these challenges.

Origin:

January 2019, VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE)

Adoptions:

28 successful

Overview

Problem

Many Veterans and active service members are disturbed by memories of specific events that occurred during combat. Oftentimes they avoid those memories and anything that triggers them at all costs. That avoidance takes a heavy toll over time and can lead to PTS and PTSD. Exposure therapy, which involves using the imagination to recall the troubling event and ... Many Veterans and active service members are disturbed by memories of specific events that occurred during combat. Oftentimes they avoid those memories and anything that triggers them at all costs. That avoidance takes a heavy toll over time and can lead to PTS and PTSD. Exposure therapy, which involves using the imagination to recall the troubling event and talking through it with a therapist, is a proven form of PTSD therapy. However, Veterans experiencing depression in addition to PTSD often have a hard time recalling those events. VR therapy changes the equation and offers an innovative alternative to traditional PTSD treatment methods. See more

Solution

VHA IE collaborated with SoldierStrong to provide VA medical facilities with a VR program that helps Veterans experiencing PTS and PTSD recover from these challenges. BraveMind, is a virtual reality therapy program that leverages cutting-edge technology to make therapy more effective and more appealing to Veterans and patients. BraveMind’s VR software includ ... VHA IE collaborated with SoldierStrong to provide VA medical facilities with a VR program that helps Veterans experiencing PTS and PTSD recover from these challenges. BraveMind, is a virtual reality therapy program that leverages cutting-edge technology to make therapy more effective and more appealing to Veterans and patients. BraveMind’s VR software includes 14 different content worlds that range from crowded marketplaces to a remote village or a checkpoint in the desert to a forward operating base in the mountains. Using BraveMind, the therapist can recreate the scene of the traumatic incident in the VR headset, safely putting the Veteran back in the moment while still being able to provide the therapy support that they might need during the session. See more

Results

Through the collaboration between VHA IE and SoldierStrong, 28 VA medical facilities have deployed BraveMind VR into their therapy programs. As more resources become available, SoldierStrong will continue to support the education and training of additional VA clinicians in the application of the BraveMind VR program.

Diffusion tracker

Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)

Started adoption on 08/2016.

WI: Clement J. Zablocki Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) WV: Hershel "Woody" Williams VA Medical Center (Huntington, West Virginia) WV: Martinsburg VA Medical Center (Martinsburg)

There are no in-progress adoptions for this innovation.

There are no unsuccessful adoptions for this innovation.

Implementation

Core Resources

Links

Please refer to the VHA XR Playbook for implementation guidance and related resources. XR Playbook

Contact

Comment

Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.

VA User (Peer Specialist) posted 2024-03-13T14:57:29Z

The XR PAYBOOK link is 404 broken

Email

Email VAImmersive@va.gov with questions about this innovation.

About

Origin story

BraveMind was developed by Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo and his team at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California (USC).

Search tags

Access to Care Coordinated Care Extended Reality (XR) Mental Health Outpatient Care Psychiatry Suicide Prevention VA Immersive Veteran Experience Whole Health

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