Virtual Reality (VR) is not a new technology, and has over two decades of research supporting its high clinical efficacy. It is a powerful tool for the treatment of mental health & behavioural issues.
Studies have shown that Virtual Reality can evoke the same reactions, thoughts and emotions as experiences in a real-world situation. i.e. visiting a virtual beach can make you feel the same way as you would on a real beach!
Numerous studies have shown that Virtual Reality based treatments are more efficient and more effective at reducing stress and anxiety than some traditional techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
A research study was conducted at the KK Women's and Children's hospital, Singapore on 108 female patients undergoing minor gynaecological surgery, to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of using Relax VR in reducing their pre-operative anxiety levels.
The study found that using Relax VR before a surgery reduced levels of:
• Anxiety
• Depression, and
• Pain / Discomfort
This is one of the first works in evaluating the effects of VR during the pre-operative period in a real clinical scenario.
A pilot study was conducted at the surgical or trauma Intensive Care Units (ICU) at University of Florida Health, USA on 59 not intubated adult patients, to assess the feasibility of using Relax VR to help patients to better manage stress and discomfort in an ICU.
The main results of the study showed:
• Reduced levels of anxiety and depression
• Patients considered Relax VR comfortable, enjoyable, and helped them better manage their pain
The study showed that Relax VR can be easily implemented in an ICU and is well-received by the participants.
A study was conducted at the Military Institute of Medicine, Poland on 65 adult patients to assess the efficacy of Relax VR in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation in a hospital.
The results showed reductions in the levels of anxiety-state in the group that used Relax VR, as opposed to the control group (where the levels of anxiety remained stable).
Those findings show the efficacy and viability of using Relax VR as a method to reduce the negative emotions in cardiac patients.
A recent study conducted at The Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK and at the Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, UK explored the viability of using VR in hospital palliative care and hospice settings. A group of 12 patients and 3 caregivers used one of the 5 minute guided-relaxation meditations in Relax VR. Seven staff members also completed a brief survey to evaluate their perspectives on the use of VR in clinical scenarios.
Results showed that:
• The use of VR was well-received by patients, caregivers, and staff
• All the participants wanted to use Relax VR again
• It is feasible to integrate VR technologies in hospital and hospice settings
• The participants didn’t experience side effects or major complications.
A controlled study was conducted at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina on 62 adults to evaluate whether the inclusion of a therapeutic narrative on a nature-based VR environment enhances the analgesic (pain relieving) effects of VR.
The results of the study showed that through the use of Relax VR with the therapeutic narrative:
• Pain tolerance increased significantly (85.35%)
• Levels of enjoyment increased during the painful procedure
• Participants felt as if time went by more quickly (faster time perception)
The study shows the viability and utility of using Relax VR to reduce the levels of acute pain during painful or disturbing procedures.
The Psychology Department of the Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Spain used Relax VR in a pilot study with 30 participants which examined the efficacy of VR in inducing relaxation and positive emotions in a non clinical sample.
The study found that Relax VR was able to:
• Significantly reduce the levels of anxiety and negative emotions on the participants.
• Promote a positive mood in the participants
• The use of VR for relaxation represents a promising approach as a stress management tool.
A research study conducted at the Russian-Armenian University, Armenia demonstrated that a single session with Relax VR significantly improved the emotional well-being of participants.
In this study, 50 volunteers aged between 18-45 years old were individually exposed to a virtual scenario featuring a tropical beach. Accompanying the immersive environment was a voice-guided, 5-minute breath awareness meditation.
Key findings from the study revealed:
• A marked reduction in anxiety levels and negative emotions among participants following the use of Relax VR.
• The ability of a single VR session to effectively induce a positive mood in healthy participants.
These outcomes suggest the potential of virtual reality as a tool for emotional regulation and stress reduction.
Virtual reality has been shown to have a number of benefits, including:
• Reduced levels of stress and inducing positive emotions when natural scenarios are used (Anderson et al., 2017, Annerstedt et al., 2013; Liszio et al., 2018; Tanja-Dijkstra et al., 2014; Tanja-Dijkstra et al., 2018)
• Enhancing and supporting the practice of relaxation and meditation techniques when natural scenes are used (Fusco, Di Nunzio & Moccia, 2018;Freeman, Lessiter, Keogh, Bond & Chapman, 2004; Preziosa, Villani, Mantovani & Riva, 2005, Riva, Gorini & Gaggioli, 2009; Repetto et al., 2009)
• Treating anxiety-related disorders (Carl et al., 2019; Meyerbröker & Emmelkamp, 2010; Opris, Pintea, García-Palacios, Botella & Szamosköki, 2012; Parsons & Rizzo, 2008; Powers & Emmelkamp, 2008)
For more information, see our blog post on Promoting Relaxation with Virtual Reality.
Recent scientific studies have validated the utility of essential oils to improve the emotional well-being and to balance the mood in several conditions, including:
• The management of stress and anxiety in the general population (Ndao et al., 2012; Seyyed-Rasooli et al., 2016; Tugut et al., 2017; Uek et al., 2014) and in patients with cancer (Ozkaraman et al., 2018; Pimenta et al., 2016; Yayla & Ozdemir, 2019), cardiovascular diseases (Fazlollahpour-Roni et al., 2019; Hasanzadeh et al., 2016; Moslemi et al., 2019; Najafi et al., 2014) or chronic renal failure renal failure (Barati et al., 2016)
• The control of acute pain (Lamadah & Nomani, 2016; Mirzai et al., 2009; Tafazoli et al., 2011)
• To decrease the levels of depression due to its antidepressant effects (Firoozei et al., 2021; Sánchez-Vidaña et al., 2017)
• The improvement of sleep problems like insomnia (Cheong et al., 2021; Song et al., 2021)
• Highly recommended in persons with rheumatic diseases like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia (Barão et al., 2021)
For more information, see our blog post on Essential Oils & Their Benefits for Mental Health.
A quantitative research study was conducted on 500 spa guests at the City University of Macau (China) in cooperation with the University of Hawaii at Manoa (USA) to understand how they perceive the usefulness and relevance of Virtual Reality in different areas of a spa complex (Check-In, Waiting Room, Treatment Room, and Check-Out).
The results of the study indicated that spa users are interested in using Virtual Reality technology during their stay, especially in the waiting room, as it could improve their general experience.
This study provides the first scientific evidence of the value of introducing immersive technology in a spa complex.
The use of relaxation techniques such as the meditations used in Relax VR have been shown to have a number of benefits:
• Increased quality of life and emotional well-being (Varvogli & Christina Darviri, 2011)
• Reduced anxiety, stress, fatigue and/or depression (Chen, Huang, Chien & Cheng, 2017; Klanin-Yobas, Oo, Suzanne-Yew & Law, 2015, Kwekkeboom & Bratzke, 2016, Nooner, Dwyer, DeShea & Yeo, 2016; Zhou et al., 2015)
• Highly recommended for individuals with insomnia (Jerath, Beveridge & Barnes, 2019, Lan et al., 2002)
• Enhanced performance and recovery in athletes (Kellmann, Pelka & Beckmann, 2018; Parnabas, Mahamood, Parnabas & Meera-Abdullah, 2014))
• Positive effects during pregnancy (Fink, Urech, Caveti & Adler, 2012; Urech, Fink, Hoesli, Wilhelm, Bitzer & Adler, 2014, Yeager, 2019)
For more information, see our blog post on The Benefits of Conscious Breathing.
The use of binaural beats and binaural beat music affect the listeners’ cognitive and emotional state. The scientific literature has shown its benefits in:
• Inducing relaxation (McConnell et al., 2014; Nawaz et al., 2018)
• Reducing the levels anxiety (Le Scouarnec et al., 2001; Wahbeh et al., 2007) and recovering from stress (Kelton et al., 2021) in the general population as well as in military members (Bustamante-Sánchez et al., 2020; Gantt, et al., 2017)
• Reducing anxiety and stress in medical settings (Kurdi & Gasti, 2018; Padmanabhan et al., 2005; Schmid et al., 2020; Weiland et al., 2011)
• Controlling the levels of acute (Dabu-Bondoc et al., 2010; Ecsy et al., 2017; Kurdi & Gasti, 2018; Roshani et al., 2019) and chronic pain (Zampi, 2016)
• Improving sleep quality (Abeln et al., 2014; Bakaeva et al., 2021; Bang et al., 2019; Shumov et al., 2020)
For more information, see our blog post The Benefits of Binaural Beats for Mental Health.