Virtual Reality Meditation for Stress

No longer recruiting at 3 trial locations

Overseen By Karin Cinalioglu

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Lady Davis Institute

Must not be taking: Psychoactive medications

Disqualifiers: Epilepsy, Schizophrenia, Brain tumor, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: 4 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how virtual reality meditation can reduce stress in older adults. Participants will use VR headsets for short meditation sessions twice a week over four weeks. The main goal is to determine if this technology effectively lowers stress levels. Ideal participants are over 60, consistently feel stressed, and live in the Greater Montreal area. As an unphased study, this trial offers a unique opportunity to explore innovative stress-reduction techniques.

Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop your current medications, but you cannot participate if you've changed psychoactive medications in the past 4 weeks.

What prior data suggests that VR meditation is safe for older adults?

Previous studies have shown VR meditation to be safe and easy to use. Participants using VR for mindfulness reported no serious side effects. One study found it helped with emotional balance and stress management. Another study examined mood or anxiety disorders and found no major safety issues with VR mindfulness practices.

Overall, research suggests that VR meditation is safe and can effectively relieve stress without causing harm. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about using virtual reality (VR) meditation for stress because it offers a unique, immersive experience that traditional stress-relief methods like mindfulness apps or in-person meditation sessions cannot match. Unlike other treatments, VR meditation provides a fully engaging environment that can enhance focus and relaxation by visually transporting users to calming settings. This new delivery method makes it easier for people to detach from daily stressors and practice mindfulness effectively, potentially leading to quicker and more impactful results.

What evidence suggests that VR meditation is effective for reducing stress in older adults?

Research shows that virtual reality (VR) for meditation can help reduce stress. In this trial, participants in the Virtual Reality Mindfulness Group will undergo a 4-week, twice-per-week, 15-minute/session VR-mindfulness intervention. Studies with younger adults have found that VR-based mindfulness exercises can improve mental health by lowering symptoms of depression and anxiety. For example, short VR mindfulness sessions can reduce heart rate and negative feelings. Another study found that VR meditation significantly increased mindfulness. Although most research focuses on younger adults, these results suggest that VR meditation might also help older adults manage stress. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for older adults over 60 living in the Greater Montreal area who feel stressed, as indicated by a Perceived Stress Score (PSS) of 10 or higher. Participants must be able to speak English or French.

Inclusion Criteria

Perceived Stress Score (PSS)equal or greater than 10

I am 60 years old or older.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive a 4-week program of 15-minute VR meditation sessions, twice per week

4 weeks

8 sessions (in-person or virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in stress, anxiety, loneliness, mindfulness, depression, sleep quality, and quality of life

4 weeks

Post-intervention assessment

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• VR Meditation

Trial Overview The study tests if VR meditation can help reduce stress in older adults. It involves a 4-week program with two sessions per week, each lasting 15 minutes, using VR technology.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention: Virtual Reality Mindfulness Group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The intervention will be 4-weeks, twice per week, 15-minute/session VR-mindfulness intervention group.

Group II: No intervention: Waitlist Control Group Active Control 1 Intervention

These participants will be on a waitlist to receive the VR guided meditation program after data collection has been completed (after the 4 weeks)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Lady Davis Institute

Lead Sponsor

Trials

50

Recruited

6,600+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12260462/

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality–Based Mindfulness ... The review will provide definitive evidence regarding VR-based mindfulness interventions' effectiveness for mental health outcomes.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830722001227

The effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) based ... The aim of this study is to investigate whether VR-based mindfulness training can improve mental health outcomes, and notably mindfulness levels amongst adults.

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12551479/

Randomised controlled trial of VR-based observation ... This study leverages VR technology to investigate the effects of a novel observation meditation programme, that combines VR with AI-driven, ...

4. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04584-7

A brief virtual reality-based mindfulness intervention can ... This study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of brief VR-based mindfulness interventions in alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms among ...

5. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1472780/full

Virtual reality vs. imagery: comparing approaches in ... The results indicated that both VR and imagery meditation effectively decreased HR, GSR, and negative affect from baseline scores. Thus, our ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11949912/

Effectiveness of a mindfulness-based program with virtual ... This study proposes a program aimed at increasing safe behavior through a mindfulness program supported by virtual reality techniques.

7. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41598-025-01359-7

Enhancing Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in a ... Specifically, the significant reduction in EDA variability in the IWD implies that VR-MBCT may promote emotional balance and stress management.

8. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-024-02438-y

The Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Mindfulness Exercises ... The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the efficacy of different electronic devices (VR headsets and tablet devices) supported mindfulness ...

9. jmir.org jmir.org/2024/1/e45640/

Examining the Use of Virtual Reality to Support ... This study aims to investigate the proximal impacts of a single, brief, VR-supported mindfulness practice for individuals with a mood or anxiety disorder.