How Can Virtual Reality Be Used To Boost Health And Wellness?

We are all aware of the effects of the levels of screen time many of us experience in our day-to-day lives, but advanced technology can also be used to help improve wellness through targeted applications of virtual reality technology.

The effects of screen time on physical and mental health are relatively well established, and as more people spend the majority of their working lives staring at screens, these issues are only going to get more pronounced.

However, one radical approach to wellness uses screens and digital technology to promote happiness, calm and wellbeing by enhancing the power of quick resets and the immersion of guided tools.

Here is how VR technology is used to fix many of the issues caused by an overabundance of technology in our lives.

What Is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is the use of a range of technologies to create an immersive simulated digital environment, typically consisting of a headset that provides three-dimensional imagery and head tracking, headphones for surround sound and sometimes trackers on the hands and legs.

Whilst often associated with entertainment, VR is also used for education, training, medical applications, architecture, and even to facilitate empathy and behavioural change. 

The earliest successful forms of VR were developed in the 1990s with the likes of Virtuality, the technology tends to be developed in cycles, and much of the development of VR for wellness began in the mid-2010s with the development of high-end headsets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

How Can VR Help With Wellness?

VR systems are designed to be immersive, allowing users to safely engage and interact with virtual worlds whilst seated, standing up, or moving within a particular safe zone. 

This makes it an ideal augmentation to mindfulness meditation, as it can block potential external distractions and, through an enhanced audiovisual and multisensory experience, help to ensure that people are aware of themselves in that exact moment.

What helps with this is the use of dedicated virtual backgrounds and environments designed to elicit feelings of calmness and relaxation, such as lush forests, fireside locations, beaches, calming caves and other common situations associated with wellness and positive mental health.

What Is The Most Effective Way To Use VR For Wellness?

There are as many approaches to applying VR for mindfulness as there are for any other form of meditative aid, such as music, guided sessions and immersion therapy. However, our VR wellness package consists of three sessions based on your overall goals and needs.

These three structured sessions are designed around providing immediate improvements and impact to your mental health during the first session, whilst using the following two to provide lasting benefits that will continue long after you take off the headset for the final session.

The types of sessions can vary, but they tend to involve either micro-reset sessions that last less than ten minutes, or a more immersive half-hour guided session that allows you to relax and focus on yourself, your body and your mind.

They can be booked as an add-on alongside other aesthetic treatments or booked as a separate package, depending on your needs.