Limbix is building up immersive content that therapists can use to treat phobias, depression and anxiety.

There are over 300 peer-reviewed studies that show VR is an effective tool for treating mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction.

It’s no wonder, therefore, to see a host of companies developing therapeutic content that leverages immersive technology. From helping passengers chill out during long-haul flights to AI-powered virtual therapists, this is a very promising space indeed.

It’s no wonder we're seeing a host of companies developing therapeutic content leveraging immersive technology
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There are over 300 peer-reviewed studies that show VR is an effective tool for treating mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction
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One such company is Limbix, which has been collaborating with experts through academic research partnerships to create content for use by therapists in a broad range of applications such as Exposure Therapy, Mindfulness, Experiential Education and Skills Training.

They raised $3M in funding so far in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital. Since then, the Palo Alto-based company has managed to establish an impressive host of partnerships with high-profile organizations and researchers to guide their content creation process and document the efficiency of the VR experiences they set out to create.

“After over a year of research and interviews, we have not only confirmed interest in VR but also learned there are opportunities for the technology to support therapy and patient care in other ways,” says Elise Ogle, a researcher who previously worked at Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, designing experiences such as the highly acclaimed Becoming Homeless, before taking on her current role as Program Manager at Limbix earlier this year.

In the mental health space, Ogle explains, there are fundamental issues with access to care and stigma that can keep people from receiving the care that they need. “VR is an innovative technology that patients are excited to use and can serve as a tool that healthcare providers can use to improve patient care,” she adds.

Limbix has been collaborating with experts through academic research partnerships to create content for use by therapists
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One example of what this can look like is a project focusing on adolescent depression intervention, which came about when Harvard researchers found that web-based intervention methods could be very effective at decreasing depressive symptoms.

The researchers at the Laboratory for Youth Mental Health at Harvard then wanted to find out how VR intervention would compare to this, and partnered with Limbix – as well as researchers from other institutions such as the Mood Disorders Laboratory at University of Texas at Austin and the Lab for Scalable Mental Health at Sony Brook University – to develop an experience which, in a single-session, provides intervention by teaching the subjects to adopt a growth mind-set which has been found helpful in overcoming depression.

Researchers at the Laboratory for Youth Mental Health at Harvard wanted to find out how VR would compare to web-based intervention
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“The goal of this experience is not only to bring insight into depression — and let adolescents know they aren’t alone in their struggles — but also to teach adolescents how to process and work through their feelings and challenges,” says Ogle, explaining that they are now nearly finished with obtaining IRB approval and will be starting a clinical study early in the new year.

Another clinical study due to begin in January is led by Dr. Barr Taylor from Stanford University/Palo Alto University and Dr. Michelle Newman from Penn State, who were also using VR as a part of exposure therapy treatment for patients with social anxiety.

“We focused on 2 different types of social scenarios that a person with social anxiety would likely have to experience in person, but could benefit from exposure to and practice with these situations in VR. In these scenarios, as they practice interacting with others in these social situations, they will learn to process their feelings of anxiety,” says Ogle.

Patients in the VR therapy group will be exposed to scenarios ordered according to their own personal ‘fear hierarchy’ by working their way from what makes them least anxious, then gradually upping the tension to what makes them most anxious.

As they practice interacting with others in social situations, patients learn to process their feelings of anxiety
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Patients in the VR therapy group will be exposed to scenarios ordered according to their own personal ‘fear hierarchy’
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The two situations they initially designed were a job interview and a social gathering with strangers. For each situation they filmed a number of scenarios to be used by the researchers to build that fear hierarchy for each patient.

Examples of the first type of situation included answering tough questions in front of varying interviewers, participating in a group interview, and a more casual interview, while situation two required patients to get a stranger’s attention at a party, send food back they hadn’t ordered, and answer standard ‘getting to know you’ questions from a stranger. The plan is to continue building a comprehensive content library of VR experiences to aid the treatment of a broad spectrum of mental health disorders

As well as having health benefits, this immersive technology also represents a sizeable market opportunity
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The plan is to build a content library of VR experiences to aid the treatment of a broad spectrum of mental health disorders
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As well as the health benefits, this technology also represents a sizeable market opportunity, as it could be deployed across a range of patient care areas such as Behavioral Health Centers, Clinics, Addiction Treatment Centers, and even schools. Limbix have already started opening up product access to paying customers and will use their feedback to guide further development as they scale.

This article originally appeared on VRScout

Therapists Using VR To Treat Mental Health Issues via @alicebonasio https://t.co/iPi1ApezQw pic.twitter.com/4X3zJ34Plq

— VRScout (@VRScout) December 27, 2018

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Virtual Reality Improving Mental Health appeared first on Tech Trends.

Keen to explore the potential of immersive technologies to enhance passenger wellness during long-haul flights, StoryUP has partnered with French-American company Skylights, which has recently (no pun intended) cinematic VR as premium passenger entertainment to work towards integrating its Healium content onto their Allosky headsets.

Healium is an immersive media channel that aims to combat stress by using immersive technologies like Virtual and Augmented Reality together with biometrics monitoring
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Healium is an immersive media channel that aims to combat stress by using immersive technologies like Virtual and Augmented Reality together with biometrics monitoring. Stress is THE 21^st century’s epidemic according to Healium, and self-awareness is the first and crucial step towards tackling it, as is what they describe as “loving-kindness content.”

The app uses real-time EEG feedback to increase feelings of positivity by placing the viewer in environments which are healed and transformed by their changing biometrics – which is done with devices such as the Muse headband or smartwatches.

The Healium app uses real-time EEG feedback to increase feelings of positivity by placing the viewer in environments which are healed and transformed by their changing biometrics
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The meditation experience is powered by your brain and heart rate
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And although this all still works without wearable integration, or VR goggles for that matter (there is an AR version which you can use on mobile devices, currently only on IOS but coming soon to Android) it is a much more immersive experience to use the brain-sensing headband or other wearable as a controller. The visual meditation experience is powered by your own brain and heart rate, so that as you move towards greater inner peace, the changing brainwave patterns or slowing heart rate moves it along, making flowers grow or the sun shine more brightly. Rather poetic, really, but also a design choice based upon research that indicates that exposure to nature and mindfulness practices can aid in relaxation and anxiety reduction.

The EEG patterns most associated with stress and anxiety are increased fast wave activity (Beta) and decreased slow wave activity (Alpha). Increases in Alpha power are associated with lower levels of anxiety and increased calmness.

Intentionally crafted VR experiences can be therapeutically effective
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Increases in Alpha power are associated with lower levels of anxiety and increased calmness
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According to the paper, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the United States, with as much as one third of the population experiencing it at some point in their lives. Given the number of people affected, it seems a logical step to explore the potential of accessible, user-friendly, engaging technologies to assist in this treatment process.

Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States, with as much as one third of the population experiencing it at some point
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While previous research has established that VR can be successfully used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including phobias and PTSD, here researchers compared a brief nature-based mindfulness VR experience to a resting control condition on participants suffering from anxiety. The results demonstrated that both a quiet rest control condition and the VR meditation significantly reduced subjective reports of anxiety.

“VR intervention uniquely resulted in shifting proportional power from higher Beta frequencies into lower Beta frequencies, and significantly reduced broadband Beta activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. These effects are consistent with a physiological reduction of anxiety,” the paper states.

Research results demonstrated that both a quiet rest control condition and the VR meditation significantly reduced subjective reports of anxiety
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The results support the notion that intentionally crafted VR experiences can be therapeutically effective, and may result in “immediate, adaptive psychophysiological outcomes.” There is early evidence, the researchers conclude, that VR based meditation interventions have the potential to play an important role in anxiety management and stress reduction. “As VR technology becomes more accessible and user-friendly, this type of intervention may find its way into a variety of environments and applications. Because the technology is relatively easy to use, it may serve as a wellness tool in work and school environments, as an intervention for persons with lack of access to nature, as a calming technique for persons receiving medical/dental procedures, as an adjunct to traditional therapeutic interventions.”

Who knows? If this catches on and eventually becomes part of the standard offering with most airlines, next time you’re facing 10+ hours squeezed in that middle seat in cattle class, you might just be able to escape to your own little Nirvana and emerge as a happier, healthier person upon landing. Until then, we’re stuck with more traditional therapies like cornering the flight attendant for that extra G&T.

This article was first published on VRScout

VR Meditation Could Take The Misery Out Of Long-Haul Flying via @alicebonasio https://t.co/YA0lw6qdMj pic.twitter.com/sPqTIcrQqu

— VRScout (@VRScout) December 7, 2018

For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Flying Into NirVRana appeared first on Tech Trends.