Today we are interviewing Alexis, the psychomotrician on our team who is preparing to become an expert. His knowledge in psychomotricity helps us develop our therapeutic virtual reality solution.

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Hello Alexis, can you tell us a bit about yourself? What is your background and role at Lumeen?

Hello, I am a psychomotrician with a state diploma in France and am currently the International Master in Psicomotricidad from the University of Murcia within the Higher Institute of Psychomotor Rehabilitation (ISRP) to obtain the title of expert in psychomotricity with a European framework. I like to discover and explore a lot of fields, especially that of new technologies, which are so promising in their humanist and optimistic approach.

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I joined Lumeen in October 2019 to contribute to the development and coordination of R&D (Research and Development) based on my knowledge in gerontology and psychomotricity. I participate in the development of therapeutic prototypes that use virtual reality; in the implementation of user-centered co-design projects involving patients and caregivers; as well as in the construction of scientific projects with hospital and university research teams such as the Hospices Civils de Lyon, the University of Lyon, the University of Paris, the Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, and the Gérontopôle Île-de-France.

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As a psychomotor therapist, what motivates you to contribute to the development of Lumeen?

Nowadays, e-health is a field that is experiencing a certain boom, and if I have been away from the clinic for a while, it is to better participate in the construction of tomorrow's therapeutic tools that will be able to benefit many people in the near future. Psychomotricity concepts, although rarely represented in the world of health innovation, seem to me to be essential to the realization of such projects that combine body and psyche. Virtual reality is a separate psycho-physical experience that still needs to be fully understood and described. For me, taking part in clinical research to better understand its effects on health is particularly exciting, as is co-designing with institutionalized elderly people and their caregivers the therapeutic spaces of tomorrow. Moreover, working in a company as I do reinforces the idea that there is a certain interest in psychomotricians and other caregivers integrating this broad field of intervention where their skills are useful and in demand.

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In your opinion, what is the potential of therapeutic virtual reality for the elderly?

I would say that the potential is multidirectional because of its possibilities of use. Virtual reality can be used for evaluation, prevention (in the full range of its spectrum), as well as for curative purposes. Whatever the reception structure, the indication or the methods of care, there is a place for virtual reality as long as the tools are properly designed to be articulated with the realities of the field.

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The potential of virtual reality also lies in the fact that it fuels the possibilities of non-drug interventions that are so much in demand, in particular by the HAS (2011). In addition, the Bourquin-Aquino report (2019) recently identified a need to integrate new technologies in the service of aging well, just as the French Hospital Federation (FHF) and the French Society of Gériatrie and Gerontology (SFGG) call on public authorities to “massively” develop new technologies at the service of old age. From my point of view, virtual reality is an attractive therapeutic mediator because it makes it possible to carry out treatments that were previously inconceivable: as soon as you open up to your possibilities, you have access to many new means of support. Finally, how can we not mention the ecological power of virtual reality, the fundamental substrate of its potential linked to the effect of contextualization and the feeling of presence in immersion, which, according to the already well-supplied literature, can be so beneficial to the psychological and psychomotor spheres. This is made possible in particular by the faithful reproduction, although still not exhaustive, of sensory-motor interactions with the digital (or digitized) world. But this subject alone deserves a dedicated piece of writing, maybe in a future article...!

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‍Do you think that therapeutic virtual reality will become a widespread tool among psychomotor therapists?

When designing therapeutic content that uses virtual reality, it's not just about thinking about an experience and making it happen. Above all, it is important to think about the form, to take into account the real needs of the field, and to think about the place that such a tool may or may not fit in an institution or an organization. For example, it is not a question of replacing current therapeutic means with a digital tool that uses the same actions on a screen; but of offering caregivers new means of care that value the freedom of exercise, the therapeutic relationship, and the specific role of each person. This is by designing tools that are easy to use, flexible, and specific, to harmonize with variable and multifaceted care situations.

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If designers take these imperatives into account, then I see no reason why virtual reality should not become widespread among psychomotor therapists, as among other caregivers. In this way I think that virtual reality integrates well into psychomotor practice because it places the patient at the heart of the therapeutic experience, which is generally revitalized with a particular and intrinsic pleasure by means. From a clinical point of view, the series “Hybrid tomorrows” by Laurent Bonnotte, accessible via the site guide-psycho.com, shows some of the profound questions that virtual reality raises in psychomotricity.

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Finally, technology is evolving rapidly. Helmets are becoming lighter, more powerful and less and less expensive, which makes them easier to use. New features are emerging such as the Hand-tracking (hand tracking) that allows you to interact with the digital world using your own body - at least in part - (see video below).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1DmFKiQCvk

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Video Credit: Road to VR

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There are therefore probably many clinical applications to be discovered, both in the psychotherapeutic and rehabilitative fields. When you feel, or measure, the effects of virtual reality on yourself or on others, it would be a shame to cross your path without taking advantage of it. So the real question is this: is the professional identity of psychomotricians and other caregivers ready to try it?

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➡️ If you are interested in the subject of therapeutic virtual reality and you want to contribute to its development or clinical research projects, you can contact us at recherche@lumeen.com

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References:

Bourquin, M. & Aquino, J.-P. (2019). Digital and technological innovations in institutions and services for the elderly. https://www.france-silvereco.fr/plugin-documentation/doc/44.pdf

High Health Authority. (2011). Development of validated non-drug therapies. https://www.has-sante.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2011-06/developpement_de_la_prescription_de_therapeutiques_non_medicamenteuses_rapport.pdf

Road to VR. (2018). Oculus Hand-tracking Research [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1DmFKiQCvk