Mindfulness and Being Present in Virtual Reality
Written by: Arik Yates PTA
Time is a fleeting thing; always moving and never stopping regardless of one’s readiness. If there is an idle moment, you may find yourself already planning for the next event, deadline, or task at hand. This lifestyle, sadly, is the way most of us live our lives and the path today’s world typically throws us into. Now, before we continue, take a moment to ponder upon the last time you were able to just sit still and just, well, exist. Once you’re there, just “exist” for a minute or two. Once you’re done, I’ll see you in the next paragraph.
How was that for you? Refreshing? Strange? Maybe you feel more stressed?
You just began your transition into mindfulness or “oneness”. Simply just existing, listening to your body, focusing on the present, and ultimately, letting the future worry about itself. On paper it sounds easy, just sit still and focus on yourself, but in practice it can be a challenge.
When looking at this topic in physical therapy, being mindful can truly make a difference and allow for more effective exercise execution. Finding how to facilitate mindfulness with a patient can be a challenge in itself, and each patient is different. However, virtual reality has been one of the main tools I have used to help facilitate mindfulness. Through the use of the head mounted display, the patient is isolated from their surrounding environment and experiences a greater level of focus, body awareness, and achievement when immersed. I have made notes within treatment of the visual improvements as well as heard plenty testimonials from patients at the end of the session about how they were able to stay mentally focused. It is evident to me that the stressors are no longer there knocking on the patient’s door, they’re in another galaxy, far, far away.
In a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research on March 18th, 2020, researchers conducted a study “aimed to explore how VR can support mindfulness practice and to understand experience issues that may affect the acceptability and efficacy of VR mindfulness for users in the general population”. What they found was very similar to my own experience and noted changes with my patients. Their conclusion to the study suggests that VR “can support mindfulness practice by enhancing state mindfulness” and that “VR may help address the challenges of practicing mindfulness by creating a sense of presence”. My favorite line from their conclusion however is, “VR has the unique capability to combine guided mindfulness practice with tailored virtual environments that lend themselves to support individuals to focus attention on the present moment”. This study’s impactful conclusion proves that VR, when designed according to the patient (like Neuro Rehab VR’s applications), can help facilitate mindfulness and positively affect your patient’s task execution and goal achievement.
Amongst the busyness of our day to day lives, taking time away from everything to practice mindfulness is important for mental health and improving your focus. I implore you to take some time away from the worries of today, let them worry about themselves for a span of time, and practice mindfulness. Any questions or thoughts on the article? Let me know down below!