Virtual Reality Combined with Mind-Body Therapies for the Management of Pain: A Scoping Review.
Mélanie Louras, Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Rajanikant Panda, Floriane Rousseaux, Michele Carella, Olivia Gosseries, Vincent Bonhomme, Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville, Aminata Bicego
The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis 2024 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2024.2391365 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scoping review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers or patients |
| Interventions | Virtual reality meditation mindfulness relaxation hypnosis |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Hypnosis Mind-body therapies Pain Relaxation Virtual reality |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Virtual reality combined with mind-body therapies is feasible, well-tolerated, and potentially useful for reducing pain and improving anxiety, mood, and relaxation. |
Abstract
When used separately, virtual reality (VR) and mind-body therapies (MBTs) have the potential to reduce pain across various acute and chronic conditions. While their combination is increasingly used, no study offers a consolidated presentation of VR and MBTs. This study aims to propose an overview of the effectiveness of VR combined with MBTs (i.e., meditation, mindfulness, relaxation, and hypnosis) to decrease the pain experienced by healthy volunteers or patients. We conducted a scoping review of the literature using PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar and included 43 studies. Findings across studies support that VR combined with MBTs is a feasible, well-tolerated, and potentially useful to reduce pain. Their combination also had a positive effect on anxiety, mood, and relaxation. However, insufficient research on this VR/MBTs combination and the lack of multidimensional studies impede a comprehensive understanding of their full potential. More randomized controlled studies are thus needed, with usability evaluation protocols to better understand the effects of VR/MBTs on patients wellbeing and to incorporate them into routine clinical practice.