Decrease Pain With Virtual Reality

December 3rd, 2008 · 2 Comments

Enter the December How to Cope with Pain contest!

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Here’s a link to an article about – really cool – using virtual reality technology to reduce pain.

Virtual reality (VR) technology lets you feel immersed in another world - and actually feel part of the world you’re viewing. You wear goggles, so the “real world” is blocked out. Your movements determine what you see on the screen, so, for example, when you turn your head left, the ”screen” also lets you see on your left side.

It’s been shown that using VR can reduce pain. This video shows an example of a veteran using a VR program. The video also mentions that patients report reduced pain – and – that fMRI’s show reduced activtation in areas of your brain responsible for pain.

Pretty neat, huh?

RSD/CRPS A Better Life also wrote about VR for pain reduction.

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2 responses so far ↓

Barbara K. // Dec 4, 2008 at 3:04 pm

this is indeed very cool. I wonder if the impact is similar to what meditation can do for pain.
How to Cope with Pain // Dec 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm

Barbara, insightful comment! VR is similar to a specific type of meditation, which is guided imagery. I use the term ‘guided imagery’ as meditation/relaxation where you use imagery specifically directed at your pain – your pain is involved in some way in the imagery.

2 examples would be 1) imagining water going down a drain, and taking with it any pain. In this image, you would see your pain draining away in a sink. 2) Another image I teach patients is seeing a sunset, and as the sun sets and the sky gets darker, feeling your pain go from red/orange to softer colors, then disappear like the sun on the horizon.

VR isn’t the same as simple relaxation, breathing, etc., because the advantage of VR is activating your visual system. Guided imagery just activates your “imagine” visual system.