Neuro Rehab VR Releases Mental Health Support Program for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Suicide Prevention
A new program from Neuro Rehab VR is working to combine the benefits of exercise, calming experiences and VR to tackle some big mental health challenges.
Neuro Rehab VR has announced the “Supporting Mental Health With a Multimodal Approach” program, now available exclusively for the XR Therapy System. This first of its kind program combines the science of gamification and the concept of “movement is medicine” with calming, immersive environments to reduce anxiety and stress in an easy to follow program that takes less than an hour to complete and can help tackle a range of challenges including depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicide prevention.
After working with multiple Veterans Administration facilities, federal agencies, private clinics and hospital systems the Neuro Rehab VR team identified a significant gap in the availability of technology solutions that support a cross-functional, or “multimodal,” approach to common mental health goals such as reducing anxiety, increasing feelings of joy and providing significantly better outcomes for patients with fewer pharmaceutical interventions. With the small physical footprint, portability and minimal electrical requirements of the XR Therapy System, the tool and program can be used in a myriad of environments from hospitals and clinics to emergency operations and conflict zones. Additionally, the system can be used to support employee mental health for various organizations through Employee Wellness Programs and employees in high stress situations such as first responders, medical personnel and law enforcement.
Vice President of Strategy, Sean Tibbetts, was highly motivated to implement the Supporting Mental Health With a Multimodal Approach program as an Army veteran himself, who also has a personal connection to the overwhelming suicide rate for our nation’s veterans. “My father was an Army vet who committed suicide a few years ago. We keep losing active duty, reserve and veteran service members at a rate of 22 a day … every day. That’s a kindergarten class lost every single day. We have to do something, anything we can to help.”
The Supporting Mental Health with a Multimodal Approach program focuses on two of the “4 Pillars of Good Mental Health” which include Sleep, Exercise, Diet and Stress Management. The program uses a variety of applications and VR experiences to keep the user engaged in the activities that support the pillars for Exercise and Stress Management. Starting with stress reduction, the program begins with a fully immersive environment enabling the user to explore an unlimited terrain with multiple interactive elements including animals to pet or catch and fruit that can be picked from virtual trees or a guided meditation program. These types of activities support pain reduction within immersive environments while at the same time promote initial movements to start the process of releasing chemicals in the brain such as dopamine that reduces anxiety and supports feelings of happiness. After this easy start, the program ramps up the physical activities to include standing exercises that promote the improvement of dynamic balance and increase the available range of motion in the shoulders and arms.
After plenty of motion and becoming more comfortable in the immersive environment, the user is then able to use the XR Therapy System in conjunction with other devices that may be available to them, such as a recumbent bike. Instead of watching the news or a blank wall, these mental health program participants can explore a town and forest chasing coins and collecting rewards. The entire experience ends with the option to enjoy some people watching in Paris or time at the beach. This last activity works to bring the heart rate back down, but maintain the elevated levels of dopamine and norepinephrine released in the brain during the process.
While there are lots of companies focused on mental health tools, most offer a singular approach to symptom resolution. A significant gap in the offerings available to patients and clinicians is now being filled by the XR Therapy System for a rehabilitation option that incorporates gamification and immersive experiences along with brain chemistry changes that can be induced through exercise and virtual reality. The XR Therapy System with the Supporting Mental Health with a Multimodal Approach program is the first tool available in the market that supports a cross-functional methodology to not only support, but improve mental health through the use of fully immersive, VR environments.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (TALK). If you are a veteran struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 (press 1).
