VR-Based Mantra Meditation for Mental Wellness

Abstract

Emotional stability, awareness, and attention may likely be enhanced by meditation and related techniques. Since meditation practitioners may need focus and engagement, virtual reality (VR) may be helpful. Even though there has been some research on the usefulness of VR for meditation, very few studies have looked at the effectiveness of VR on audible mantra repetition (AuMR). Our research addresses this limitation by investigating the efficacy of AuMR, which is assigned to promote better cognitive health and overall brain well-being in VR. Fortyone individuals were randomly divided into two groups, test and control. The test group was engaged in a ten-minute VR-based AuMR session, while the control group did nothing in the same virtual reality setting for ten minutes. Both groups completed self-reported questionnaires before and after the intervention and electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. We evaluated EEG band power ratios such as alpha-to-beta (AB) ratio and frontal-alpha-to-temporal-theta (FATT) ratio to find the effects of VR-aided meditation. The findings of the ANOVA test demonstrated a substantial decrease in the self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression parameters. Furthermore, comparing the test group to the control group revealed a significant increase in the FATT ratio and a significant decrease in the AB ratio. We also observed significant changes in the HRV values of the test group. The study offers sufficient evidence to suggest the feasibility of AuMR in VR for cognitive wellness.