Virtual Ability Presents the 14th Annual Mental Health Symposium
“Facing Our Fears: Managing Anxiety About Life’s Uncertainties”
Thursday May 15, 2025
Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island In Second Life
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23
The 14th annual Mental Health Symposium took place on May 15, 2025. The theme of this year’s Conference was “Facing Our Fears: Managing Anxiety About Life’s Uncertainties.”
Fear is a built-in human reaction. Fear of large carnivores, fire, dark, starvation and strangers likely contributed greatly to the survival and early evolution of humanity. The modern world has given people even more causes for fear: community violence, biased public institutions, horrific war, climate change, racism, gender violence and artificial intelligence, among many others. Fear can at times be useful, but it also impacts quality of life. Disabling fear is a treatable condition. The varied causes and levels of intrusiveness of a fear demand individualized therapeutic approaches. The broad theme of this conference allowed us to look at the topic of fear from a number of different perspectives.
The Symposium took place in the virtual world of Second Life, at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability island. The conference was also live-streamed on YouTube.
Virtual Ability hosts this annual Symposium to share information about mental health and mental disabilities with the general population. Within our cross-disability community we have members who deal with a variety of mental health issues. Not only was this an opportunity for our community members to learn more about topics related to mental health from experts they probably would not have a chance to meet otherwise, it allowed the general public to attend a professional conference at no cost. Here is the schedule for the conference including a link to the transcript of each session.
Mental Health Symposium 2025 Schedule of Events
May 15, 2025. All times are in SLT/PDT.| Start Time | Presenter Name | Institution / Presenter Biography | Title of Talk | Transcript of Talk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Dr. Manish Kumar Asthana  | Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Dr. Manish Kumar Asthana is an associate professor of psychology at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in northern India. He is particularly interested in cognitive psychology, fear conditionings and the emotions of stress and anxiety. He will explain how imagery-based interventions can attenuate conditioned fear. | Attenuating conditioned fear using imagery-based interventions Conditioned fear is a type of learned reaction that associates a fearful reaction to a neutral stimulus, in the absence of the original reason for fear. Dr. Asthana’s research looks at ways to lessen the effect of conditioned fears. | Asthana Transcript |
| 8:00 am | Mr. Aman Kumar Prajapati  | Invertis University (India) Mr. Aman Kumar Prajapati is an assistant professor of psychology at Invertis University Bareilly in northern India. He will talk about near-death experiences. | Near death experience and transformation of afterlife belief This psychological systematic review explores how near-death experiences (NDEs) influence individuals’ beliefs about the afterlife. It synthesizes findings across studies to reveal patterns of spiritual transformation, increased belief in life after death, and shifts in existential outlook following NDEs. | Prajapati Transcript |
| 9:30 am | Ms. Maria Nieves  | Catholic University of Pelotas (Brazil) Ms. Maria Nieves is a practicing clinical psychologist in Brazil. She is a master’s student at the Catholic University of Pelotas in southern Brazil, where her degree will be in Behavior and Health. Her presentation topic is fear related to climate change. | Worry related to climate change among Brazilian adults It’s ok to worry about the world ending: Healthy and unhealthy anxiety on the face of climate crisis. There is scientific consensus that global warming is happening and anyone with access to information about climate change is potentially susceptible to experiencing an anxiety response. And are those responses pathological or just logical in the face of what's been going on? | Nieves Transcript |
| 10:30 am | Ms. Jen Johnson | Private Practice Jen Johnson, LCMHC is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, mindfulness teacher, speaker, photographer, and writer. Her areas of expertise include stress, resilience, grief, chronic illness, and climate mental health. Jen is the author of Everyday Mindful on Substack that explores being resilient in an uncertain world. | Learning from the Land: Growing Emotional Resilience in the Climate Crisis In this heartfelt and grounding presentation, we’ll explore how the climate crisis impacts our emotional lives — from grief and overwhelm to resilience and response. Through the wisdom of the natural world, you'll learn practical tools for navigating climate anxiety, tending climate grief, and staying emotionally rooted in times of deep change. This session invites you to reconnect with your inner strengths and your place in the living world. | Johnson Transcript |
| Noon | Dr. Mustafa Demir | John Jay College of Criminal Justice Dr. Mustafa Demir is an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which is part of the City University of New York. He is particularly interested in law enforcement and police-community relations. He has twenty years of law enforcement experience as a police administrator, having worked for both the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He will present about fears of terrorism and cyberterrorism, with emphasis on the effect of trust in government and in counterterrorism laws and policies. | Effects of trust in government, counterterrorism policies, and counterterrorism laws on fear of cyberterrorism and fear of terrorism People appear to be more afraid of cyberterrorism than of other forms of terrorism. Dr. Demir’s research shows that only trust in government can mediate these fears. | Demir Transcript |
| 12:30 pm | Panel Discussion    | Panel Discussion Moderator: Itico Spectre Panelist: Viola Mole is part of the Linden Department of Public Works. She heads up the team of Second Life Mentors, who assist new avatars coming into Second Life. Panelist: Pet Karu runs the Fearless Lovers and Empowering Relationships groups and the Bonded Adventures sim in Second Life. As a life coach, she embodies authenticity in both her lives. Panelist: Kip Yellowjacket is an experienced online English trainer specializing in IT and business retraining programs, and academic exam preparation for native German speakers. He is the founder of Virtlantis, a pioneering virtual world language learning platform. Panelist: Demelza McGinnis is a retired RN who has helped both patients and new nurses deal with their fears. As a mother and grandmother, she cares for children with disabilities. | Peer Support and Fear Facing fears together is powerful. Peer groups can be powerful tools in helping us cope with our fears and at the same time come with risks. | Panel Transcript |
| 1:30 pm | Panel Discussion   | Panel Discussion Moderator: Cicero Kit Panelist: Dr. Kathryn Post is a nurse scientist in the Massachusetts General Hospital's Cancer Outcomes Research & Education (CORE) Program. She is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and an advanced practice nurse who cares for patients with breast cancer. Panelist: Dr. Leigh Brosof is a clinical psychologist specializing in research on and treatment of eating disorders. She supports patients and families with personalized evidence-based treatment. She also treats co-existing disorders such as anxiety, depression, and OCD. Panelist: Gloria Kraegel is the Team Leader at Brain Energy Support Team, and Chief Groundskeeper at Etopia Sustainable Communities. With BEST she creates supportive and engaging opportunities, both online and in Second Life, for neurodivergent persons and their loved ones to build skills and systems for success. | Fear within Specific Disabilities What fears are unique to persons with eating disorders, cancer, and brain injury? What fears are in common among these different types of disabilities? How does understanding the nature of a disability-related fear determine the most appropriate treatment? The panelists will compare and contrast fear among people with varied disabling conditions. | Panel Transcript |
| 3:00 pm | Dr. Veró Caridad Rabelo  | San Francisco State University Interviewer: Shyla Dr. Veró Caridad Rabelo is an associate professor of management at San Francisco State University. They use an intersectional and interdisciplinary lens to examine organizations as sites of suffering, and the many ways that people endure, cope with, and resist injustice at work. They also organize and participate in peer crisis support networks which center autonomy, consent, and anticarceral approaches to care. | When Safety for You Means Danger for Me Sometimes the fears of different population groups seem to contradict each other. What can be done to address the interrelated anxieties of majority and underrepresented groups? Shyla will interview Dr. Rabelo about their research into the victimization-fear paradox as they propose some difficult but important solutions to questions of public safety. | Rabelo Transcript |