Virtual Empathy : The added value of Virtual Reality in Psychotherapy

Several studies investigate empathy as the ability to understand and share a person’s emotional states. Recent researches explore phenomenological peculiarity of empathy. The present work is a review of existing scientific literature about the construct of empathy, paying specific attention to new methods to explore it. Particularly, the study presents a new form of measurement: the virtual reality (VR). This work proposes a hypothesis of research, in order to test the possibility to increase empathy, using VR in subjects with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder (Antisocial, or Narcissist). The proposal includes the possibility for psychotherapist to share a series of emotional experiences with the patient, through a mobile app linked to multiple VR viewers.