Fast Company Features STRIVE, ICT’s Virtual Reality Resilience Trainer

Fast Company highlighted research by Skip” Rizzo on the use of virtual reality to address post-traumatic stress.
The article noted that Rizzo works on several DoD-funded efforts to related to virtual reality simulations and PTSD, including STRIVE, a simulation that run soldiers through Iraq and Afghanistan narratives, but add a training session when the plot takes a dark turn.
There’s some evidence that realistic wartime scenarios can actually help make people more resilient before they hit the front lines, said Rizzo. At the same time, he acknowledges, researchers have to be careful.
Rizzo notes that the STRIVE simulation offers a mentor character to walk the trainee through his or her response.
“He’ll walk out from behind a tree in one environment. He’ll show up in the front seat of the Humvee,” Rizzo said. “And he walks up and walks you through the types of emotional resilience training activities that have been found to be beneficial.”