Virtual reality – a term primarily associated with popular culture – has made inroads into various fields of research in recent years, not least in the field of biofeedback. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research and highlights potential advantages over traditional biofeedback.
What is virtual reality, or VR for short?
VR is defined as the interface between humans and computers, through which a realistic virtual environment is simulated with which the user can interact. Today, this is usually achieved using a so-called „VR headset“, which contains two screens that display a video directly in front of the user’s eyes.
Results
The authors identified 18 studies that investigated the effect of VR biofeedback on various parameters. Improvements were observed in relation to anxiety and generalised anxiety disorder, a reduction in the stress response, and a reduction in pain compared with baseline or with waiting-list control groups. A positive impact was also observed on quality of life and coping skills. As regards comparisons with traditional biofeedback, only a few studies have been conducted to date. These currently suggest that the use of VR is similarly effective.
Furthermore, individual studies have shown that the use of VR results in higher levels of positive, therapy-relevant parameters – such as motivation, attention, engagement and the experience of flow – compared with traditional biofeedback.
However, when considering these results, it should be noted that research to date has focused almost exclusively on healthy adults, which makes it difficult to generalise the findings to clinical practice and work with children. Furthermore, only a few gamification elements have been used to date, and participants have usually only undergone a single session, which currently makes it difficult to assess the full potential of VR biofeedback.
Source: Lüddecke R, Felnhofer A. Virtual Reality Biofeedback in Health: A Scoping Review. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. March 2022;47(1):1–15. doi: 10.1007/s10484-021-09529-9. Published online 3 December 2021. PMID: 34860290; PMCID: PMC8831282.
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