#Theradbot -- a #TherapyDog that will put all the other dawgs out of business. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/16/meet-therabot-the-loveable-robotic-beagle-that-helps-victims-of-ptsd-364/

Researchers at Mississippi State University’s Social, Therapeutic and Robotic Systems (STaRS) lab are close to releasing Therabot, an interactive robotic beagle that scientists hope will help victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. The idea came about when trying to find a more affordable and safer alternative to using live dogs in therapy sessions for those with PTSD, while providing an interactive experience that is more satisfying and effective than the usual substitute of a stuffed animal.

Meet Therabot

Therabot is a robotic beagle that victims of PTSD will be able to love and interact with during abuse-counselling and home therapy sessions. Designed by researchers at STaRS lab under the direction of Dr. Cindy Bethel, the dog’s many features were determined largely from input by specialized clinicians, as well as victims of PTSD. Equipped with the latest technology, Therabot will respond directly to a patient’s actions, able to nuzzle and pet patients who seek comfort and love in their times of need. What’s more, the Therabot will be able to provide animal-assisted therapy to those who are allergic to or afraid of interacting with live dogs, while providing them with the interaction that is lacking in the typical stuffed-dog substitute.

In a survey, STaRS lab asked 1045 people what kind of animal they would prefer. Choices included a teddy bear (the expected favorite), a frog, cat, variations of different dogs, and some other more abstract, non-animal shapes, such as a ball with arms and legs. According to their report, a dog with floppy ears and a coloration similar to that of a beagle won the competition by a landslide.

What Can it Do?

Therabot will be able to move and make realistic sounds as direct responses to human signals, such as being pet and talked to. It is equipped with dynamic, moveable joints, as well as a segmented tail in order to provide patients with all the loving and realistic interaction of a live dog. Additionally, Therabot’s fur includes sensors that tell the beagle how hard or soft a person is petting it, as well as where exactly it’s being pet, as to respond appropriately and realistically to a person’s touch, cuddling and whimpering their ways into patient’s hearts.

Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy

PTSD is a mental illness that is caused by traumatic events in a person’s life, including time spent in combat, and cases of assault and abuse. These events often leave victims unable to emotionally handle their experiences. Most victims have an especially hard time avoiding emotional and memory-triggers, which spark moments of reliving the past traumatic event or events.

Organizations such as the American Humane Association Studies have done countless studies on the benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for some time now—the results of which have consistently shown it to be beneficial to patients’ overall health. Even short periods of interaction between patients and animals have shown signs of reduced stress, anxiety, depression in those suffering from a wide range of illnesses and diseases, including PTSD.

Therabot is planned to be officially released next summer, as the prototype still needs some fixing up.

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Meet Therabot: The Loveable Robotic Beagle That Helps Victims of PTSD

Playing Tetris Could Prevent Traumatic Memories From Forming - http://clapway.com/2015/07/09/playing-tetris-could-prevent-traumatic-memories-from-forming987/

Research is being done to help trauma victims who have painful flashbacks and memories. Scientists in the United Kingdom are investigating to see if a simple game like Tetris could be helpful.

Scientists based at the University of Cambridge, Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, and the University of Oxford examined subjects who have seen videos of actual traumatic events, including those that result in death, and then had some of them play Tetris as a way to help them rid their mind of those traumatic images.

THIS MIGHT HELP THOSE WITH PTSD

This Tetris treatment might be another avenue for those experience PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder. This is most commonly associated with those who are in the military. For those who are experiencing PTSD, they go through all types of treatment such as lifestyle changes, therapy, and medication.

TETRIS MAY HELP REMOVE INVASIVE MEMORIES OF IMAGES

The goal of the researchers was to remove the invasive memories associated with the trauma. These memories can include paralyzing flashbacks that cannot be controlled. There were 56 people that were used in this study. In the experiment, in those people who played Tetris 24 hours after seeing a film containing disturbing video footage, reports showed that fewer of these memories occurred in the days after the initial viewing.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The researchers made a theory that playing the game Tetris reconfigured the visual memory because the brain focuses on both the visual game and the memory of the film.

Although the study admits that it was limited since seeing a traumatic image on TV is different from experiencing it, but the theory does show promise for those who experience traumatic events.

VISUAL TRAUMA IS NOT EXPERIENCED TRAUMA

Psychologists and trauma and crisis intervention specialists are skeptical of the correlation of the study to those who actually experience traumatic events. The comparison of a horror film trauma to the tangible or scent association of an experienced trauma is not there.

Although solid research will have to be done before the Tetris theory can be taken as a serious idea for dealing with post-trauma situations, it is an interesting hypothesis that shows promise nonetheless.

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Playing Tetris Could Prevent Traumatic Memories From Forming