Enhancing compassion meditation through virtual reality and sensory priming: A focus on individual factors
International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology December 17, 2025 Aida Palacios, Sara Martínez‐Gregorio, Catherine I. Andreu et al.
A compassion practice improved mental health and prosocial behaviors across all groups, but adding virtual reality (VR) boosted positive affect more than the practice alone, while adding a heating pad as somatosensory priming reduced negative affect less than the practice alone. Among participants with low mental imagery skills, VR significantly reduced criticism toward others. The study suggests that tools like VR can optimize compassion-based interventions for individuals who struggle with mental imagery.