Meditating in Virtual Reality: Proof-of-Concept Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress

Objective: We investigate the potential therapeutic application of virtual reality (VR) technology as an aid to meditation practice among persons varying in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method: In this within-group mixed-methods study, 96 young adults practiced both VR- and non-VR-guided meditations and reported on their experience of positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), other meditative experiences and perceived satisfaction-credibility of each meditation. Results: Participants reported more PA and greater perceived satisfaction-credibility following the VR as compared to non-VR-guided meditations primarily when the VR meditation was practiced first, before the non-VR meditation, as opposed to vice versa. The experience of NA during meditation practice was infrequent, although persons with increased PTSD symptoms reported increased distress during both VR and non-VR meditation. Conclusions: Further study of therapeutic applications of VR as an aid to meditation practice among people with PTSD symptoms is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).