Brief Interactive Virtual Reality Mindfulness Training with Real-Time Biofeedback for Anxiety Reduction: A Pilot Study.
Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback June 4, 2025 Qiuxia Xu, Yingqi Gu, Xizhe Hu 5 citations
A five-minute interactive virtual reality mindfulness session that uses real-time heart rate variability biofeedback to dynamically change the virtual environment (e.g., fog clearing, sounds, visual shifts) significantly reduced anxiety, improved mindfulness states, and increased heart rate variability in university students with recent anxiety symptoms. Traditional audio-based mindfulness and a no-intervention control group showed no significant changes in heart rate variability. The findings suggest that brief, responsive VR mindfulness training can effectively enhance psychological and physiological well-being.