Enhancing claustrophobia exposure therapy: A blockchain and NFT-enabled metaverse approach

Claustrophobia is a widespread mental health issue that affects a significant portion of the population. Traditional approaches, such as exposure therapies, have shown efficacy but are limited by their inability to provide immersive and controlled environments for effective therapy. These methods often struggle to replicate the intensity and authenticity of claustrophobic scenarios and face challenges in data security and patient engagement. In this paper, we propose a blockchain and Non-Fungible Token (NFT)-based metaverse to create a decentralized, transparent, immersive, and secure platform for claustrophobia exposure therapy. Our approach integrates blockchain technology for decentralized data management and NFTs for incentivizing patient participation, offering a unique enhancement to traditional therapy methods. We develop four blockchain smart contracts to manage registration, access control, NFT management, progress monitoring, and incentives distribution. Our system architecture, sequence diagrams, and algorithms are presented to demonstrate the functionality of our solution. We validate our approach through functionality testing, cost evaluation, and security analysis. Specifically, we measure the gas consumption of the smart contracts, analyze transaction costs, and assess system security against vulnerabilities. Additionally, we leverage existing literature to support the effectiveness of NFTs as incentives and the role of blockchain in enhancing data security and participation. The results show improvements in therapy engagement and data security, validating the practical implications of integrating blockchain and metaverse technologies in mental health therapy. We discuss the practical implications, challenges, and limitations of our solution, along with guidelines for generalization. The source code is publicly available on GitHub.