What a FlashVR session actually feels like

Putting on a headset for therapy sounds strange until you’ve done it. Here is what happens from the moment you sit down.

You pick a language, answer a handful of check-in questions, and choose something positive and absorbing to focus on: a beach, a piece of music, your dog. Then a small light moves in a slow figure-eight while you keep your attention on your positive focus. Every so often the word FLASH appears and you blink a few times. That’s it. Between rounds you breathe, and after each round we check the disturbance level.

I’m in the room the whole time. The system is built so that any answer that suggests you need a person immediately brings you back to me. Most people describe the session as oddly calm, and are surprised when the number drops.

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