Virtual reality as a new imaginative tool in psychotherapy

Imagination, experience and memory play a central role in psychotherapy. These elements are fundamental in the life of everyone but also in the etiology of many psychological disturbance. Thanks to Virtual Reality (VR) it is possible to transcend the absolute and relative limits linked to individual potential. The imagines re-created through VR may be more vivid and real than the one that most subjects are able to describe through their own imagination and their own memory. In this chapter we focus the attention on imaginative techniques to find new ways of applications in psychotherapy. We will explore the way VR can be used to improve the efficacy of traditional techniques. VR produces a change with respect to the traditional relationship between client and therapist. Virtual experiences is a third way between "in imagination" and "in vivo" techniques in psychotherapy.