Ukrainian soldiers receive treatment at a rehabilitation centre for psychological trauma in Kharkiv (Ukraine) on October 2, 2023. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent has republished this article with permission. It was originally published in the twice-weekly “The Counteroffensive With Tim Mak” newsletter on October 17, 2024. Click here to subscribe to The Counteroffensive.
Mykola Horishnyi, a Ukrainian soldier, was declared clinically deceased twice last year. The Ukrainian soldier suffered from severe blood loss due to an explosion, which was likely a Russian mine.
Tomorrow, at 4:45 pm, will be exactly one year since my wounding. Mykola told The Counteroffensive that he still cannot believe that all of this happened to him and that he is no longer in trenches.
Mykola has PTSD and finds it difficult to talk about the traumatic experiences he has experienced. He began psychotherapy in a rehabilitation centre in the Kyiv suburb Borodianka that pioneers virtual reality therapy.
The Ukrainian Health Ministry reported that in August, the number of people suffering from mental health issues had doubled since 2023. According to BBC, market research data shows sales of antidepressants are up more than 50% since 2021.
Around 15% of people will develop PTSD following traumatic experiences of violent conflict or warfare. The majority of people can overcome the effects with professional help. However, traditional therapy does not always work.
The increase in mental illness suggests a major crisis of social integration after war as hundreds of thousands soldiers try to reintegrate themselves into civilian life. To overcome these challenges, technology innovators are experimenting new forms of VR therapy.
Mykola said, “If not for our doctors, I don’t think we would be here today.”
Mykola’s story began in February 2023 when he volunteered for the army.
“I wanted to go to the frontlines in the east to reach Crimea and take our Crimea home, but that was it.” “Of course, it did not work out as planned,” he said.
Mykola has been haunted by his injury for a year.
“I can’t quite believe that this is now my reality, that I am no longer in the trenches or running around, storming position. I still feel like I am there when I close my eyelids or sit alone. Mykola said, “I see the trenches when I sleep. These nightmares never leave.”
Mykola receives therapy and retreat services currently at the Borodianka Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation. The center is among the few places in Ukraine that actively develop VR therapy.
VR-based exposure therapy has shown promising therapeutic benefits.
It’s hard to imagine a mental health condition that this treatment wouldn’t help. “We are working on treatment for a wide range of conditions,” Daniel Freeman told the BBC.
A specialist is always on hand to offer support, but it is the goal to recreate traumatic experiences to help the patient overcome fear and stress.
“Our brains have been built in such a way that we can’t tell the difference between physical and virtual reality.” Virtual reality can help a person relive their normal memories and emotions by immersing them into a virtual environment, said Yevhen Koutukh, an Ukrainian VR specialist who actively develops this technology.
Yevhen and the team are developing a new technology to diagnose PTSD quickly.
They plan to use virtual realities to evoke emotional reactions in veterans by showing them a two minute simulation of combat operations. The brain signals can be used to determine if the person has PTSD.
The VR technology is still in its early stages of development. However, the team is working with partners and donors to improve it.
The standard treatment is expected to require up ten sessions, each lasting 50 minutes and taking place every week. After the course, a person should be able to handle stress at a manageable level. VR therapy, when combined with a psychologist, can help more two-thirds people with PTSD.
Exposure therapy, where the therapist creates an environment that is safe and exposes the patient’s fears to the world, may not be suitable for all patients and has limitations.
First, it can take time to engage a soldier and begin addressing traumatizing events. Second, a veteran’s imagination and memory may not be enough to process trauma. It can also be difficult for people to open up about painful memories.
Currently, active collaboration with foreign partners is underway in order to create a specialized space with sensors that allows for free movement and enhances the realism.
VR can help with phantom limb pain, which is experienced by those who have lost their limbs and still feel pain. Mykyta, a veteran whose leg was amputated, had to deal with this problem. He said that at times the pain was so intense, it was difficult to get up from bed.
Sensors attached to the muscles in his lost limb, and virtual reality games that develop motor skills can help him rewire his mind to believe the limb he moves is his own. This helps him stretch the muscles, which reduces the phantom discomfort. Virtual reality therapy aims to relieve pain in real life.
As Mykola talked about the nightmares he still has, his smile began to fade. I asked him about the things that distract and he smiled.
“Family. Mykola spoke of home, routine, and communication. “When my wife comes from work, we talk. When we go for a stroll, we visit this center in Borodianka,” he said.
All veterans should receive such support and assistance in their difficult journeys towards physical and psychological rehabilitation.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed by the authors in the op/ed section do not reflect the views of Kyiv Independent.
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