Imagine your way out of pain

By

Isabelle Maradan

Pain is a... pain, right? It's our body's way of warning us it needs help. But it can make life miserable. Medicine can help, but it's not ideal. So imagine if there was a drug-free way to help our brain just switch off pain. Mélanie has done just that...

Mélanie saw the problem with pain where her boyfriend had cancer. She decided to work on a way to help. Fifteen years later, her VR (virtual reality) system, called Bliss, is helping thousands of children and adults escape pain.

Have you ever seen a VR headset, or tried one out? It fills your eyes with 3D video and your ears with sound, so that your brain really starts to think that you are somewhere else. And if you're somewhere else - on walk through a forest full of flowers, listening to calming music - your brain doesn't worry so much.

It's a great alternative to taking medicines which can make you sick. Kids who are ill find it a great way to get through moments when doctors have to do things to them that hurt. They can just choose to go somewhere they'd rather be instead of in hospital. You can see and hear from happy Bliss users in the WoW! News app.

Thank you, Mélanie!

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