Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses
IntroductionBeing diagnosed with a life-threatening illness (LTI) is often accompanied by feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness that can severely impact mental health. Relatively few interventions are available to address the existential concerns of individuals facing LTI, while treatment of...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Virtual Reality |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2024.1466362/full |
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| author | Hannes Kettner Hannes Kettner David R. Glowacki David R. Glowacki Justin Wall Justin Wall Justin Wall Robin L. Carhart-Harris Robin L. Carhart-Harris Leor Roseman Leor Roseman Joseph L. Hardy Joseph L. Hardy |
| author_facet | Hannes Kettner Hannes Kettner David R. Glowacki David R. Glowacki Justin Wall Justin Wall Justin Wall Robin L. Carhart-Harris Robin L. Carhart-Harris Leor Roseman Leor Roseman Joseph L. Hardy Joseph L. Hardy |
| author_sort | Hannes Kettner |
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| description | IntroductionBeing diagnosed with a life-threatening illness (LTI) is often accompanied by feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness that can severely impact mental health. Relatively few interventions are available to address the existential concerns of individuals facing LTI, while treatment of the underlying physical ailment typically remains the priority of the healthcare system. Research has shown that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) holds promise for supporting mental health in people with LTIs. However, PAT’s potential in this population remains curtailed by several limitations, including regulatory and accessibility issues. Novel approaches that could provide some of the benefits of psychedelic experiences, while avoiding associated challenges, would therefore be highly desirable for supporting the mental wellbeing of people with LTIs. Among such interventions, virtual reality (VR)-based experiences have been suggested as a promising candidate. We here evaluate a program that includes weakly representational, multi-user VR experiences based on a design aesthetic previously described as “numadelic,” which has been demonstrated to elicit self-transcendent experiences comparable to psychedelics.MethodsA prospective cohort study design was used to assess the effects of “Clear Light” (CL), a group-based, 6-session multimedia program that included VR experiences, video calls, and text chats spanning 3 weeks. Participants were individuals suffering from LTIs that self-selected to participate in the CL program. A total of N = 15 participants were evaluated based on assessments 1 week before and after the program, using self-report measures of anxiety, depression, wellbeing, and secondary psychological outcomes.ResultsThe intervention was well-tolerated among participants. Significant improvements with moderate effect sizes were observed on self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and wellbeing. Secondary measures assessing demoralization, connectedness, and spiritual wellbeing also showed significant improvements.DiscussionThis observational study demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of a group-based VR program that can be delivered at-home to people suffering from LTIs. While conclusions are presently limited by the lack of randomization or a comparison group, our findings strongly suggest further research is warranted, including randomized controlled trials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c6829ae15a0d490c90b954c1f0d533e2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-4192 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Virtual Reality |
| spelling | doaj-art-c6829ae15a0d490c90b954c1f0d533e22025-01-07T04:11:24ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Virtual Reality2673-41922025-01-01510.3389/frvir.2024.14663621466362Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnessesHannes Kettner0Hannes Kettner1David R. Glowacki2David R. Glowacki3Justin Wall4Justin Wall5Justin Wall6Robin L. Carhart-Harris7Robin L. Carhart-Harris8Leor Roseman9Leor Roseman10Joseph L. Hardy11Joseph L. Hardy12Department of Neurology, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCentre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomaNUma, Inc., San Rafael, CA, United StatesIntangible Realities Laboratory, Centro Singular de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Intelixentes da USC, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainaNUma, Inc., San Rafael, CA, United StatesIntangible Realities Laboratory, Centro Singular de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Intelixentes da USC, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainNumadelic Labs, El Cerrito, CA, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCentre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United KingdomaNUma, Inc., San Rafael, CA, United StatesNumadelic Labs, El Cerrito, CA, United StatesIntroductionBeing diagnosed with a life-threatening illness (LTI) is often accompanied by feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness that can severely impact mental health. Relatively few interventions are available to address the existential concerns of individuals facing LTI, while treatment of the underlying physical ailment typically remains the priority of the healthcare system. Research has shown that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) holds promise for supporting mental health in people with LTIs. However, PAT’s potential in this population remains curtailed by several limitations, including regulatory and accessibility issues. Novel approaches that could provide some of the benefits of psychedelic experiences, while avoiding associated challenges, would therefore be highly desirable for supporting the mental wellbeing of people with LTIs. Among such interventions, virtual reality (VR)-based experiences have been suggested as a promising candidate. We here evaluate a program that includes weakly representational, multi-user VR experiences based on a design aesthetic previously described as “numadelic,” which has been demonstrated to elicit self-transcendent experiences comparable to psychedelics.MethodsA prospective cohort study design was used to assess the effects of “Clear Light” (CL), a group-based, 6-session multimedia program that included VR experiences, video calls, and text chats spanning 3 weeks. Participants were individuals suffering from LTIs that self-selected to participate in the CL program. A total of N = 15 participants were evaluated based on assessments 1 week before and after the program, using self-report measures of anxiety, depression, wellbeing, and secondary psychological outcomes.ResultsThe intervention was well-tolerated among participants. Significant improvements with moderate effect sizes were observed on self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, and wellbeing. Secondary measures assessing demoralization, connectedness, and spiritual wellbeing also showed significant improvements.DiscussionThis observational study demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of a group-based VR program that can be delivered at-home to people suffering from LTIs. While conclusions are presently limited by the lack of randomization or a comparison group, our findings strongly suggest further research is warranted, including randomized controlled trials.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2024.1466362/fullvirtual realitylife-threatening illnesswellbeinganxietydepressionpsychosocial intervention |
| spellingShingle | Hannes Kettner Hannes Kettner David R. Glowacki David R. Glowacki Justin Wall Justin Wall Justin Wall Robin L. Carhart-Harris Robin L. Carhart-Harris Leor Roseman Leor Roseman Joseph L. Hardy Joseph L. Hardy Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses Frontiers in Virtual Reality virtual reality life-threatening illness wellbeing anxiety depression psychosocial intervention |
| title | Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses |
| title_full | Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses |
| title_fullStr | Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses |
| title_short | Observational cohort study of a group-based VR program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life-threatening illnesses |
| title_sort | observational cohort study of a group based vr program to improve mental health and wellbeing in people with life threatening illnesses |
| topic | virtual reality life-threatening illness wellbeing anxiety depression psychosocial intervention |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2024.1466362/full |
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