GMU:Immersive Essays/Kristin Jakubek: Difference between revisions

From Medien Wiki
No edit summary
Line 112: Line 112:
As I imagine a therapy patient goes through several phases during his infusion therapy I created a second, more light filled, airy and less claustrophobic phase.  
As I imagine a therapy patient goes through several phases during his infusion therapy I created a second, more light filled, airy and less claustrophobic phase.  


In both the first and second scene of the VR experience I used a scene from the anime 'Mind Game' by Masaaki Yuasa. In the anime the main character Nishi, dies only to wake up in a black space where he sees his death as a video-recording from enormous screens that surround him from all sides (Inspiration scene 1). Nishi then enters into a completely white space (Inspiration scene 2) where he encounters a figure who keeps changing it‘s appearance. The shape-shifting figure is god, and because Nishi has so many associations of what god might look like the figure remains in flux. Exactly this visual stream of fluctuating association I interpret as a visual representation of Ketamine. In my research I found that one patient described his state as: 'one borderless perceptual hallucination'. This might because Ketamine breaks open connections in the brain, which leads to the brain to form new neural-pathways. This  biochemical process plays with memory and can trigger hallucinations. Additionally scientists found that Ketamine triggers reactions in your cortex that enable brain connections to regrow. However, it is still not fully understood how the drug works to alleviate symptoms of depression.   
In both the first and second scene of the VR experience I used a scene from the anime 'Mind Game' by Masaaki Yuasa. In the anime the main character Nishi, dies only to wake up in a black space where he sees his death as a video-recording from enormous screens that surround him from all sides (Inspiration scene 1). Nishi then enters into a completely white space (Inspiration scene 2) where he encounters a figure who keeps changing it‘s appearance. The shape-shifting figure is god, and because Nishi has so many associations of what god might look like the figure remains in flux. Exactly this visual stream of fluctuating association I interpret as a visual representation of Ketamine. In my research I found that one patient described his state as: '''one borderless perceptual hallucination'.'' This might be because Ketamine breaks open connections in the brain, which leads the brain to form new neural-pathways. This  biochemical process plays with memory and can trigger hallucinations. Additionally scientists found that Ketamine triggers reactions in your cortex that enable brain connections to regrow. However, it is still not fully understood how the drug works to alleviate symptoms of depression.   


[[File:Scent of a flower we have not found 9-218]]
[[File:Scene2.1.png]]


The treatment space, consisting of a door, a wall (that has turned soft)and an IV monitor, remains as a remnant of reality. The actions that unfold around the viewer in the form of videos and 3D surrounding symbolises a therapeutic conversation the patient is having with themselves.  
[[File:Scene2.2.png]]
 
[[File:Scene2.3.png]]
 
[[File:Scene 2.4.png]]
 
The treatment space, consisting of a door, a wall (that has turned soft)and an IV monitor, which remain as remnants of reality. The actions that unfold around the viewer in the form of videos and 3D surrounding symbolise a possible therapeutic conversation the patient is having with themselves.  
 
[[File:Scene 2.5.png]]
 
[[File:Scene 2.6.png]]
 
[[File:Scene 2.7.png]]


''"And then I was gone, down the rabbit hole of hallucination. My mind skipped though grid-style maps of city parks. I occasionally took a deep breath or wiggled my fingers just to remind myself I still could. I later learned that what I was experiencing is known as a "K-hole," which is rare at the low does I took." - 'I tried ketamine to treat my depression. Within a day, I felt relief.', Alice Levitt for Vox''
''"And then I was gone, down the rabbit hole of hallucination. My mind skipped though grid-style maps of city parks. I occasionally took a deep breath or wiggled my fingers just to remind myself I still could. I later learned that what I was experiencing is known as a "K-hole," which is rare at the low does I took." - 'I tried ketamine to treat my depression. Within a day, I felt relief.', Alice Levitt for Vox''