One terrible side effect of being a serviceman or woman in the US Army is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The military knows this is a problem and is actively looking to solve the problem. One way for them to do this is Power Dreaming.

Basically, after a soldier encounters a nightmare tied to experiences they’ve had in the military they turn on their computer and watch a “good dream” that was created using Second Life, a game where you can realistically recreate yourself in almost any surrounding.

What this would do is lower the stress level of the person in question. It’s not exactly Inception, but it’s the same idea. They’d reverse the effects of a nightmare with a good dream. Down the road, and with plenty of more technology, this could evolve into something much more.

The program is in the planning stages currently, but it’s ready to go live next year. The military has already awarded half a million dollars to a consultation company to help with the program.

PTSD is a terrible thing, so anything that can relieve it is welcome, even if it is Inception (although hopefully Inception doesn’t go as far as Leonardo DiCaprio took it). [Wired via Movies.com]

dreams, inception, military, power dreaming, real-life inception, us army