Veteran and VA provider and the future of virtual reality

Army Veteran Barry Peterson uses his own experiences with virtual reality (VR) to help other Veterans.

Immersive technology is transformative for Veterans by providing a unique tool for mental health benefits and chronic pain management. VA is at the forefront of implementing this cutting-edge technology, and Veterans across the nation are experiencing the benefits that virtual environments can offer.

Army Veteran Peterson is a health system specialist at Sierra Nevada VA and has experienced VA’s adoption of immersive technology as both a user and a provider. VR has had a profound impact on both his professional and personal life, and he is an advocate for the relief others may find in this technology.

Peterson’s journey with VR began when he was conducting role-playing and skill reinforcement exercises with employees. “I had a long-held belief and hope in VR that was rekindled when I was an educator with VA,” he shared. He felt like the tools he had to help Veterans with were limited and he was intrigued by his innovation specialist’s suggestion to enhance current strategies with VR.

“From that point on, it has become a huge and growing part of my job. It has really given meaning to my work and helped us modernize and innovate. It’s been life changing,” he said.

Technology creating human connection

Not only does Peterson (pictured above) find meaning in using immersive technology to help his Veteran patients, but as a Veteran he has personally experienced the benefits VR can provide. In dealing with his own service-connected struggles, VR has become a tool to re-inspire optimism in his future.

“It’s given me hope. That’s the bottom line. It’s given me hope for myself and my own personal journey as a Veteran. It’s brought stuff to the surface that I didn’t know was there and it’s given me a reason to connect with other Veterans,” he shared.

These personal experiences have reinforced his faith in immersive technology and empowered him to engage with other Veterans experiencing mental or physical challenges.

Peterson’s own familiarity with VR serves as a link that helps build trust and inspire open minds. “It’s another thread of connection with other Veterans,” he said.

As important as the technology is, Peterson emphasizes the human connection at the heart of his work. “This is about technology on the surface, but underneath it’s about a human-to-human connection. This technology opens the door to deepen that connection.”

Hope for the future of VR

Peterson is enthusiastic when it comes to the future of immersive technology at VA.

“The rapid acceleration of infrastructure is beyond comprehension. We’re all excited and passionate about it, and now we’re building the structure and momentum to sustain it. The more we can use this technology to help Veterans shape the person they want to be and shape their future, then they can find peace in their own essence and beings,” he added.

VA has deployed over 3,500 VR headsets across more than 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa, with over 40 documented use cases and over 10,000 Veteran experiences to date.

To learn more, visit the VA Immersive website and check out the YouTube playlist.