Virtual Reality, emotion and the brain

Varahi Lusch
Jul 28, 2017 · 2 min read

I am interested in the physical and emotional and neurological responses of the human body and mind in relation to VR. I have been a member of Second Life for 10 years now and there is often talk about head sets and things although when I look at them and the things that have been designed for them it seems like they are basically ’toys’. This is fine up to a certain pointbut I feel the reach of VR offers much more than that, especially if it is going to be integrated well into our modern human lives. I also have uncontrolled epilepsy which has led me to do a fair amount of (home) study of the brain :)

My main experience with VR is mentoring people through their avatars closely in Second Life (SL) for 7 years or so (I now have a fairly large group SL wise so a lot of the work is delegated to those I have trained). Most of us do not use headsets but still our experience has been very immersive and echoes a longer and more detailed version of what I have seen during improvisational and roleplay workshops in Real Life (RL). I have helped people through times of all sorts of RL challenges that impact upon their paths, such as times of sickness and disability, to develop relationship skills that they then have incorporated into their RL relationships (thus disproving that VR makes people think only in a bubble by definition). I also enable people, through my teachings and roleplay processes, to take a little step back and consider what having an avatar actually means. A lot of people think VR is ‘fun’ but then leave their emotional limits behind, thinking that what they are doing is not ‘real’. It IS real for the mind, emotions and physical reactions.. so the bad press VR can get can be countered by processes that make people aware of these things — people can make a real difference to their habits, attitudes and abilities through VR if we apply ourselves to the grit of who we are physically and emotionally. We might think that we can be whoever we like in a Virtual Reality context.. but are we being kind to ourselves? If we leave ourselves behind can we truly have experiences?

Most recently I have been reached out to by a simulator who is organising the roleplay and concept of android robots on their ‘planet’. Although the creators are, again, quite fascinated with their ‘toys’, ‘gadgets’ and ‘programmed items’, it is becoming an interesting journey of communication and understanding as we move towards what can be ‘real’ in reaching out to and motivating their players :)

Varahi Lusch

Written by

Manifester of various realities. Varahi is a social entrepreneur, creating and nurturing projects that explore practical applications of the human mind.

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