Psychedelic replications in virtual reality and their potential as a therapeutic instrument: an open-label feasibility study
Kristjan Kaup, Madis Vasser, Kadi Tulver, Juhan Pikamäe, Jaan Aru
July 5, 2022 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/uh9kf via OpenAlex
Summary
A 2-day therapeutic intervention using a virtual reality experience called Psyrreal significantly reduced depressive symptoms in participants with mild-to-moderate depression, as measured by the Emotional State Questionnaire. Out of thirteen participants, ten completed the study, showing a notable improvement two weeks post-intervention. Additionally, qualitative interviews indicated that Psyrreal may facilitate personal insights and changes in self-perception. These findings suggest potential for virtual reality to enhance treatment for psychological disorders.
Study at a glance
| Design | open-label feasibility study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | participants with mild-to-moderate depression |
| Key finding | The intervention using Psyrreal led to significant decreases in depressive symptoms at the 2-week follow-up. |
Abstract
Background: Recent research has shown promising results for the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. One popular view claims that these benefits are mediated by the subjective experiences induced by these substances. Based on this, we designed a virtual reality experience, Psyrreal, that mimics the phenomenological components of psychedelic experiences. Aims: We aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Psyrreal and psychedelic VR experiences in treating depressive symptoms as well as explore the effect of Psyrreal on subjective factors which have been suggested to mediate the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.Methods: In this open-label feasibility study, thirteen participants with mild-to-moderate depression underwent a 2-day therapeutic intervention implementing Psyrreal. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Emotional State Questionnaire (EST-Q2) at the start of the intervention and 2 weeks after. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews after Psyrreal was also conducted as an additional assessment of the method.Results: A 2-day intervention implementing Psyrreal led to significant decreases in depressive symptoms at the 2-week follow-up (n = 10, p = 0.007, Hedges’ g = 1.046) measured by the Emotional State Questionnaire (EST-Q2). The analysis of semi-structured interviews suggests that Psyrreal could lead to insight and alterations in the sense of self in some people.Conclusion: This work proposes a novel method using virtual reality to augment the treatment of psychological disorders as well as to precisely investigate the mediating subjective factors of the therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances. Our preliminary results suggest that VR experiences combined with psychological support show potential in treating depressive symptoms and further research into similar methods is warranted