What Is Virtual Reality Therapy, And Does It Work? (Updated for 2025)

Most of us face stress and anxiety in our lives to varying degrees. But mental health disorders are probably more prevalent than you realize, with 23% of adults in the U.S. — nearly 60 million Americans — experiencing a mental illness in 2024. These disorders can range anywhere from mild to completely debilitating, including general stress and anxiety, fears and phobias, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more.

While traditional talk therapy could be an effective treatment option, many simply don’t have the time, money or resources to find a therapist. In fact, socioeconomic disparities create significant barriers to mental health care, particularly for minority communities facing higher poverty rates and lower incomes. Financial constraints make it difficult to afford therapy, medication and other essential treatments. Plus, more and more people are searching for treatment options that don’t include the use of drugs.

This is where Virtual Reality (VR) comes in. Is it possible this new technology could become the future of mental health treatment?

What Is VR Therapy?

VR is an immersive technology that uses computer-generated environments to simulate real or imagined experiences, allowing users to interact with a digital world through specialized headsets and controllers. 

VR therapy is administered through various methods. One straightforward practice is to use teletherapy to connect qualified therapists who use VR tools with remote patients. This allows people to speak with a therapist without having to travel to a doctor’s office, something some can’t do.

Other uses involve creating an immersive environment to expose patients to their anxiety triggers. This allows patients the chance to confront their fears or stress-inducers in a safe, controlled environment. There, they can learn how to respond positively to events instead of experiencing stress.

What’s especially great about this tech is it enables practitioners to use highly customized treatment plans based on the needs of the patient. And, because of the immersive powers of VR, the experience is more authentic and engaging, something many think is more effective than traditional talk therapy.

VR therapy is used to treat a number of conditions, including:

• Addiction
• Phobias
• Mood Disorders
• Pain Management
• Sleep Disorders
• Panic Attacks
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

VR Therapy Today

VR therapy has made significant strides in recent years, offering innovative solutions for various mental health and physical rehabilitation challenges. By immersing patients in controlled virtual environments, VR therapy enables individuals to confront fears, practice social interactions and recondition the brain in ways that traditional therapy may not achieve. 

Below are some recent VR therapy applications and developments.

Mental Health Treatment

VR therapy has been effectively utilized to address conditions such as anxiety, depression and phobias. For instance, the BraveMind program, developed by the SoldierStrong Foundation, employs VR to provide exposure therapy for veterans experiencing PTSD. This approach has been implemented in multiple Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States, offering veterans a controlled environment to confront and process traumatic memories. 

Cognitive Rehabilitation

In the realm of cognitive health, VR has been employed to combat dementia and enhance mental function among seniors. At the New Jewish Home in New York, residents engage in virtual adventures such as skydiving and hiking the Alps, which have been shown to improve mental health, reduce feelings of loneliness and enhance memory. 

Physical Rehabilitation

VR therapy has also proven beneficial in stroke rehabilitation, providing a safe, controlled environment where therapists can tailor exercises to individual patient needs. It enhances motor learning through audio, visual and haptic feedback while also allowing for customizable difficulty levels to keep patients engaged. 

VR simulations support various therapies, such as balance and gait training, upper limb rehabilitation and functional movement practice. Patients can practice tasks like walking, standing, reaching and daily activities, all while receiving real-time feedback to improve their performance.

Pain Management

VR has been integrated into pain management strategies, particularly for chronic pain sufferers. In a study on chronic low back pain (CLBP), a VR program resulted in a notable reduction in pain intensity, with 44% of participants experiencing more than a 30% decrease. 

VR has also been used for different therapeutic objectives in pain management, such as relaxation, education, distraction and exposure therapy. These diverse goals allow VR to assist physiotherapists in customizing treatments for CLBP patients, aligning with the precision medicine approach that focuses on individualized care in chronic pain treatment.

VR Therapy Future Prospects 

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with VR therapy is an emerging trend, aiming to create more personalized and adaptive treatment experiences.

AI-enhanced VR therapy holds the potential to significantly improve the customization and effectiveness of mental health treatments by providing real-time, data-driven adjustments. The AI systems embedded in VR platforms can continuously assess a patient’s physiological indicators, like heart rate or facial expressions, and psychological responses, such as anxiety or stress levels. 

Based on this data, the AI can adjust the virtual environment in real time, making the experience more tailored to the individual’s emotional and psychological state. This personalized approach allows for a more nuanced and adaptive treatment, ensuring that patients are neither overwhelmed nor under-challenged. 

In the case of phobias or PTSD, AI can modify scenarios gradually, ensuring safe exposure while avoiding triggering distress. Such customization enhances engagement and helps maximize therapeutic outcomes.

Furthermore, AI’s role in VR therapy extends to continuous monitoring and progress tracking, making it easier for healthcare providers to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Through AI, VR platforms can generate detailed reports on patient performance, such as their reaction to specific stimuli, how they handle stressful scenarios or how their symptoms evolve over time. 

This ongoing data analysis helps therapists make informed decisions about treatment adjustments, fine-tuning the therapy for greater success. AI can also recognize patterns in patient behavior and suggest changes to therapy protocols, facilitating more timely interventions. This real-time feedback loop enhances the patient’s experience and enables a more objective and evidence-based approach to treatment, fostering better long-term mental health outcomes.

What’s Next for VR Therapy?

There’s still much more to learn about the effectiveness of VR and the best ways to put it to use. As the tech continues to advance, there’s no doubt we’ll see more research done on VR therapy options targeting individuals who experience mental health disorders.

Original Publish Date 5/29/2019 – Updated 2/27/2025