Body mapping embodiment and emotional responses to an experimental simulation of auditory hallucinations in a virtual reality environment

Abstract

Background Recent research has examined embodied emotions in psychotic disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate how embodiment, emotional responses and meaning-making interacted during a simulation of Auditory Hallucinations in a virtual reality environment (sAH-VR).Methods This qualitative experimental study explored embodiment and its relationship to a sAH-VR task within a community sample, analyzing body-maps and written qualitative accounts of embodied experiences. These were synthesised using a multi-method “follow-the thread” qualitative process to integrate visual and textual data.Results Ninety-one percent of participants reported affective-embodied responses to the sAH-VR task. Five qualitative themes were identified: (i) A Relationship between sAH-VR and Bodily Response, (ii) Localized Sensations, (iii) Strong Emotional Reactions, (iv) sAH-VR and Meaning-Making and (v) Increased Bodily Awareness.Discussion Affective-embodied reactions were a highly common response to the sAH-VR task. Descriptions of embodiment following the sAH-VR task gave rich, qualitative experiences of embodiment with clear parallels to comparable findings in the clinical literature. Further research should test the clinical validity of the methodology.