Calming
Virtual Reality Scenarios Prove More Effective at
Reducing Pain
Virtual
Reality tech**logy has been used in the past to help reduce the
Pain experienced during difficult to endure procedures, such as the S**wWorld game designed to help assist with*
bandage changes on burn victims. The actual mechanism how
Virtual Reality actually numbs the
Pain was **t properly studied, the assumption seems to have been that distraction is really what
Virtual Reality does for pain.
Researchers have **w tested this assumption under new circumstances, including a cold pressor lab setup and real world dental procedures during which patients wore
Virtual Reality headsets. *They were immersed in two very different environments, one a calm beachside walk and the other a busy urban situation full of distractions. Turns out the
Calming scene was significantly better at improving how people experience and remember the
Pain they have endured during tooth extractions and fillings.
While this was **t entirely unpredictable, the study does point to it being important what kinds of
Virtual Reality environments are used to help alleviate pain. Moreover, there might be a lot
More variations in this field that may point to certain
Virtual situations being better for certain types of
Pain or procedures.
Study in journal*
Environment and Behavior:
The Soothing Sea: A Virtual Coastal Walk Can Reduce Experienced and Recollected Pain…
