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Issue 5: 6.2024
In This issue: Take an in-depth look at how VR is revolutionizing mental health care, and how immersive tech is addressing access to care for stress, phobias, and anxiety.
One of the standout companies addressing these issues is Healium, a VR meditation-based app designed to help manage stress, focus, and improve sleep. Companies like Healium are making a significant impact, demonstrating the potential of VR to transform mental health treatment in everyday life.
In the Monthly Showcase below, the remarks of Cristina Perez Ibarra at Omega Clinic are a testament to how the power of VR technology in fostering a supportive and better-tailored therapeutic environment. As immersive technology continues to evolve, its applications in mental health care promise to offer even more innovative solutions for individuals and communities around the world. Enjoy!
- The VRD HealthTech team
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Special Announcement:
VRD HealthTech presents the "Immersive Tech Talk" Podcast series hosted by Dr. Skip Rizzo!
Our guests to launch the podcast series will be Amir Bozorgzadeh and Hossein Jalali, Co-Founders of Virtuleap.
Podcast Premiere Date: July 17th Time: 11 AM Pacific
Stay tuned on our social media for an update on how to attend the live of our inaugural episode next month.
oVRcome exposure therapy whenever, wherever you like.
Research has shown that 80% of people with an anxiety disorder like a phobia or social anxiety receive no treatment at all. This is called the Treatment Gap. This gap exists mainly due to cost, location, stigma and a lack of trained psychologists.
The goal of oVRcome is to make treatment for these anxiety disorders easy and accessible for everyone who needs it around the world.
This New Zealand-based startup from Christchurch uses innovative technologies to improve mental wellbeing. They unite clinical expertise and cutting-edge virtual reality home technology to help people overcome their fears and anxieties.
The technology includes therapy for many types of phobias including fear due to: birds, deep water, dogs, driving, enclosed spaces, flying, heights, insects, mice and rats, needles, public speaking, and spiders.
The startup designed their product with a mission to make it easy for people to overcome phobias and anxieties. With oVRcome, anyone who needs help can get it with just a tap on their phone.
Special Interview with: Cristina Perez Ibarra from Omega Clinic
An Immersive Journey: Virtual Reality Transforming Mental Health
In the heart of San Jose, Costa Rica, Omega Clinic is pioneering the integration of immersive technology into mental health care. For the past year, this innovative clinic has been using virtual reality (VR) to enhance its therapeutic services. Cristina Perez Ibarra, a dedicated therapist at Omega Clinic, shares her vision for VR's role in the clinic and how it is reshaping their practice.
Omega Clinic is dedicated to the holistic development of individuals, emphasizing a partnership with families and other professionals. "[The] Clinic is dedicated to the comprehensive and optimal development of individuals," Cristina explains. Their mission is to provide tailored, high-quality services that meet the unique needs of each client, predominantly children. She passionately describes her clinic’s vision: "We aim to promote genuine development and build strong, compassionate citizens who value themselves and others."
Integrating Virtual Reality into Therapeutic Services
Cristina elaborates on how VR technology has been woven into their services: "We've integrated VR as a tool for detailed, instantaneous, and precise assessments in emotional, behavioral, and cognitive areas. With our team of psychopedagogists and psychologists, VR helps us conduct assessments that significantly measure attention, impulsivity, and response time, among other metrics."
The use of VR is not just a supplement to traditional methods but a tool that enhances patient engagement and connection. "It has proven to be a great complement to our existing methods," Cristina notes, highlighting the enhanced interaction and precision VR brings to their practice.
Benefits for Practice and Patients
The benefits of VR in clinical practice are significant. For therapists, VR streamlines the assessment process, making it more engaging for patients and reducing the potential for biased results. "Parents appreciate the immediate availability of reports," she says. "It provides them with a clear understanding of the situation without delays, and the digital recording of test results reduces paperwork."
Patients, especially children, respond positively to the VR environment. "The tests are short, preventing children from feeling overwhelmed, and the familiar environment is appealing," she observes. Instant feedback and precise results help parents and teachers understand and support the child's needs effectively.
Outcomes and Future Aspirations
Currently, Omega Clinic focuses on using VR for assessments, which are complemented by additional evaluations as needed. However, Cristina sees a future where VR is more deeply integrated into therapeutic sessions. "We're exploring how to leverage VR beyond assessments, looking at how it can enhance our intervention plans," she says.
Cristina envisions expanding the use of VR to offer more comprehensive support to families, both during sessions and remotely. "We hope to make VR technology more accessible, enhancing the effectiveness of our interventions and reaching more people in need.”
Arab Health 2024: UAE launches ‘immersive’ Virtual Reality mental health lab to treat ...
...phobias, anxiety. Facility simulates real-life situations to help therapists assess patient’s condition.
The Emirates Health Services (EHS) established by the UAE government to enhance efficiency in the federal health sector - has launched the Immersive Reality Laboratory for Mental Health that works even without a VR headset to treat people suffering from different types of phobias and anxiety. The new service, which has begun its pilot phase at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital in Dubai, was showcased at the Arab Health 2024 on its inaugural day Monday.
The Lab simulates real-life situations to help therapists assess the level of anxiety and phobia in a controlled environment. It also helps the patients to immediately go back to their “safe place” tailored for their conditions and calm down if they feel stressed with the immersive environment, explained Dr Ammar Humaid Al Banna, director of Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital in Dubai. Theoretically, Dr Al Banna said, any type of anxiety could be treated if the right protocol is developed. Prioritising human wellbeing, this initiative is the first of its kind in the Middle East and aims to create a significant advancement in patient care, according to Dr Essam Al Zarooni, acting Executive Director of Clinical Services at EHS.
How It Helps
“The therapist works with the patient inside the immersive lab to create a calming, relaxing experience using generative AI and this experience is going to be unique to that patient. And then from this safe place, [the Lab] gradually exposes them to the anxiety situations until they overcome them in this lab so they will be able to handle them in real life.”
Did You Know?
XR Therapeutics is a start-up company, spun out of Newcastle University based on over 9 years’ worth of clinical and academic research. Their service combines traditional CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with graded exposure to treat phobias and situation-specific anxiety.
Their solution is delivered using VR technology in a fully immersive environment. The unique treatment can be adapted by the therapist in real time as they work alongside clinicians and end users to tailor scenes based on the needs of the recipient. Administering traditional CBT can take anywhere between 10 to 20 sessions before the patient observes noticeable impact, whereas with this treatment, that window can shorten this to just 4 x 20-minute sessions over a 2-week period.
The company have previously focused their work on supporting conditions like autism, but Innovate UK and SBRI Healthcare funding has allowed them to rollout the treatment to the neurotypical population. This technology can also be used to support people with learning disabilities.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) at AWE USA 2024, June 18th - 20th
Check out the world's largest spatial computing event. Hosted in Long Beach, California.
VAMR: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, June 29 - July 4 2024
16th International Conference which includes interaction techniques, technology foundations, and user experience.
XR Fair Tokyo (Summer), July 3rd - 5th
Hosted in Tokyo Big Sight, Japan. This expo focuses on extended reality technologies (VR/AR/MR) and serves as a platform for XR companies to showcase their services and technologies to various industries such as entertainment, manufacturing, and marketing.
VRTO 2024, July 10th - 11th
Toronto, Canada. Known as the Spatial Media World Conference, VRTO attracts major names in the VR industry.
