In a previous entry, I wrote about my social anxiety and about seeing a psychiatrist. The only solutions the psychiatrist could offer me were the following: meditation, pills, and tell him my troubles on a regular basis. Although it felt good to have someone listen to my problems, I can’t imagine it being healthy to always be taking about what troubles me. I have also blogged about the virtual world of PS Home and how it was easier to deal with the anxiety in that virtual world (it was still there but easier to deal with). I actually think that PS Home has been very therapeutic and it has helped me deal with my social anxiety in the real world. I have been on home for about eight months now and it has gotten increasingly easier as time has passed.

For those of you who have not read my other entries, I will give a brief description of the virtual world of PS Home. Home is not quite like Second Life, but has some similarities at its base. You have a three-dimensional avatar that you can choose the gender and customize its appearance. You move around in a three-dimensional world and interact with different people. There are activities and games that you do alone or with others. Of course, since this is on a gaming console and is geared towards gamers, there are a lot of young males on Home.

Not to be stereotyping young people or men as immature and rude, as I have seen plenty of rude older people as well, there are so many of them on home that you can’t ignore them. Anyway, the point here is that there are rude an obnoxious people on Home, which is in part due to the large number of young people on Home. In another blog entry, I wrote about my thoughts on how the anonymity of the internet and an avatar on home allows one to be ruder than they would be in real life (if one ruins a virtual identity all they need to do is create a new one). I believe that having to confront these sort people in a composed manner has helped me to be more assertive in the workplace.

On Home, I belong to a club for older individuals. About once a month they meet together to socialize in a large group of fifty or more individuals. Upon arriving at the meeting place, I feel overwhelmed by the avatar bodies standing or dancing and conversing with one another. The same anxiety takes hold of me and my impulse is to leave immediately. The first time I encountered this, I stood still not being able to move for about fifteen minutes before I could calm down and gain enough courage to attempt joining a group in conversation. I have subsequently met a few outgoing people and now when I go to a big meet, before my fears completely overtake me, someone usually greets me. I have my good days and bad days, but on Home I am still trying. I have not given up entirely, whereas in the real world I had given up. My encounters in the virtual world has given me hope that things may get better in the real world. It may not cure everything and I still may not be able to function at parties, but the little things I couldn’t do before may get better.

Surprisingly, I have met others on Home, who have the same social anxiety. I have met others on Home who have more severe social and psychological problems, such as autism or mental illness, and Home has helped them to overcome their disabilities as well. I believe that virtual social realities, such as Home, can be a safe place to work out a variety of social problems and in the process can be a very therapeutic environment.