Experiential cognitive therapy: a VR based approach for the assessment and treatment of eating disorders

• Published in: Studies in health technology and informatics Vol. 58; p. 120
• Main Authors: Riva, G, Bacchetta, M, Baruffi, M, Rinaldi, S, Molinari, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 1998
• Subjects: Adult; Anorexia Nervosa - psychology; Anorexia Nervosa - therapy; Body Image; Cognitive Therapy - instrumentation; Computer Simulation; Computer Systems; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Motivation; Therapy, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; User-Computer Interface
• ISSN: 0926-9630
• DOI: 10.3233/978-1-60750-902-8-120

Even if there has been significant progress in research on eating disorders, little empirical work has been done yet to specify the content of clinical guidelines and to validate their efficacy in treatment. In particular there are at least three themes that are somehow neglected by current guidelines: body experience disturbances, motivation for change and the integration between the different approaches used. This chapter details the characteristics of the Experiential Cognitive Therapy (ECT), an integrated approach ranging from cognitive-behavioral therapy to virtual reality (VR) sessions. In particular, using VR, ECT is able to address both body experience disturbances and motivation for change. In the chapter a description of all the phases of this approach are offered by using an actual clinical case: a 22-year old female anorectic patient.