Virtual Reality Meditation for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A new study shows that meditation using immersive virtual reality devices provides greater relief from major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms than meditation alone.^1,2

“Treatments that use medications are the most effective in addressing mental health disorders, but they also can bring unwanted side effects,” said Junhyoung Kim, PhD, a researcher in the Department of Health Behavior involved with the study. “That led to the current effort to develop treatments that rely less on drugs or are entirely drug-free, such as the practice of mindfulness through meditation.”²

In this longitudinally designed, single-arm clinical trial, participants used Meta brand Oculus Quest 2 digital headsets for 30-minute meditation sessions 3 times a week for 10 weeks. Investigators recruited participants based on referrals from clinician progress notes and initial entrance exams. Of the initial group of 36 participants, each participant engaged in an average of 5.1 sessions, but 11 participants left the study without undergoing the exit assessment when they were discharged from the hospital. This left the 25 participants—11 males and 14 females, with a mean age of 42.1 years—who took part in an average of 2.7 intervention sessions, equaling a total of 68 observations.

The most important part of immersive virtual reality meditation that distinguishes it from traditional meditation is the personalized meditation experience. The headsets provided an immersive virtual reality experience in which users selected their desired outcome, such as stress reduction or improved sleep^3,4; scenery, like a meadow, savannah, or beach; and natural sounds, like birds chirping. The 30-minute sessions were provided according to the preference and requirements of each participant. Before and after each session, participants completed a General Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire. They also completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 before and after 2 sessions.

Investigators also used HeartMath (electrocardiogram) to measure the changes in emotional regulation related to immersive virtual reality meditation participation. HeartMath, a biofeedback monitoring system that measures heart rhythm changes and coherence levels between sympathetic and parasympathetic activities in the autonomic nervous system,⁵ allowed investigators to objectively measure coherence level and related achievement scores that are associated with levels of depression and anxiety (Drageset et al., 2012; Edwards, 2016; Minen et al., 2021). The study affirmed previous findings that virtual reality meditation sessions significantly alleviated participants’ MDD and GAD symptoms and improved their emotional regulation.^6-8

“This is important knowledge for mental health professionals, clinicians and caregivers,” Kim said. “Meditation using immersive virtual reality has the potential to greatly benefit those in the United States who will experience depression at some point.”²

Limitations included the single arm clinical trial and small sample size.

“While the outcomes of the study cannot be generalized and there are reliability issues, our study can serve as an initial test of the application of a technology to mindfulness therapy for MDD and GAD patients,” wrote the study authors. “The results of our study provide a rationale for implementing immersive virtual reality meditation with patients with MDD and GAD and shed light on how mental health professionals, clinical practitioners, and caregivers can integrate VR technology into existing mental health care programs.”¹

References

1. Lee J, Kim J, Ory MG. The impact of immersive virtual reality meditation for depression and anxiety among inpatients with major depressive and generalized anxiety disorders. Front Psychol. 2024:15:1471269.

2. Kellet A. Virtual reality meditation can alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms. Texas A&M Today. January 28, 2025. Accessed January 31, 2025. https://today.tamu.edu/2025/01/28/virtual-reality-meditation-can-alleviate-depression-and-anxiety-symptoms/

3. Ma J, Zhao D, Xu N, Yang J. The effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) based mindfulness training on improvement mental-health in adults: a narrative systematic review. Explore (NY). 2023;19(3):310-318.

4. Shaw C, Gromala D, Song M. The meditation chamber: towards self-modulation. In: Metaplasticity in Virtual Worlds: Aesthetics and Semantic Concepts. IGI Global; 2011:121-133.

5. Raghavendra BR, Telles S. Performance in attentional tasks following meditative focusing and focusing without meditation. Anc Sci Life. 2012;32(1):49-53.

6. Drageset J, Espehaug B, Kirkevold M. The impact of depression and sense of coherence on emotional and social loneliness among nursing home residents without cognitive impairment–a questionnaire survey. J Clin Nurs. 2012;21(7-8):965-974.

7. Edwards SD. Influence of HeartMath quick coherence technique on psychophysiological coherence and feeling states. Afr J Phys Act Health Sci. 2016;22:1006-1018.

8. Minen MT, Corner S, Berk T, et al. Heartrate variability biofeedback for migraine using a smartphone application and sensor: a randomized controlled trial. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2021;69:41-49.