The authors suggest that VRMT may improve memory function in elderly adults by enhancing focused attention.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency, after 1 year, of combined use of psychodynamic psychotherapy integrating virtual reality (VR) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) in 160 heterosexual males who had neither any prior sexual therapy nor had made use (either before, during or after therapy) of any specific pharmaceuticals for the treatment of primary sexual dysfunction. All subjects had given their informed consent. After a clinical diagnosis in an andrologic center, 50 presumably psychological ED (average age 43.7 years), 60 mixed ED (53.9 years) and 50 primary PE (39 years) who suffered these problems over 6 months were undergoing a cycle of 12 sessions, over a 25-week period, of psychotherapy, integrating an audio CD and helmet with miniature television screens that projected specially designed CD-ROM program on the ontogenetic development of male sexual identity. The clinical follow up was done after 6 and 12 months after the cycle. After one year, the overall partial (two times out of three) and complete positive response rate for psychological ED was 75%, for mixed ED was 47% and for PE was 54%. We considered drop-out cases as only before the 7th session of the treatment cycle, the drop-outs after session 7 and the patients that did not show up for follow-up are counted as negative results. Two patients reported nausea and one, vertigo during the first 15-min virtual reality experience. Considering the particular way that full-immersion virtual reality involves the subject who experiences it, we hypothesized that this methodological approach could speed up the therapeutic process. The evidence that positive results persist over time allows us to hypothesize that certain changes in cerebral function can be possible and that these changes are correlated to favorable sexual performance in the male.

Many of us grew up with the naive assumption that couches are the best used therapeutic tools in psychotherapy. But tools for psychotherapy are evolving in a much more complex environment than a designer's chaise lounge. In particular, virtual reality (VR) devices have the potential for appearing soon in many consulting rooms. The use of VR in medicine is not a novelty. Applications of virtual environments for health care have been developed in the following areas: surgical procedures (remote surgery or telepresence, augmented or enhanced surgery, and planning and simulation of procedures before surgery); preventive medicine and patient education; medical education and training; visualization of massive medical databases; and architectural design for health care facilities. However, there is a growing recognition that VR can play an important role in clinical psychology, too. To exploit and understand this potential is the main goal of the Telemedicine and Portable Virtual Environment in Clinical Psychology--VEPSY Updated--a European Community-funded research project (IST-2000-25323, http://www.vepsy.com). The project will provide innovative tools-telemedicine and portable-for the treatment of patients, clinical trials to verify their viability, and action plans for dissemination of its results to an extended audience-potential users and influential groups. The project will also develop different personal computer (PC)-based virtual reality modules to be used in clinical assessment and treatment. In particular, the developed modules will address the following pathologies: anxiety disorders; male impotence and premature ejaculation; and obesity, bulimia, and binge-eating disorders.

Introduction Smartphone-delivered healthcare interventions allow patients to access services on demand when needed, improving motivation and compliance. However, the use of mobile health apps has been scarcely explored in sexual medicine. Aim To evaluate the effects of integrating psychological treatment for premature ejaculation (PE) with a mobile coaching app that offers therapeutic exercises on the patient’s smartphone. Methods This study comprised 35 heterosexual men with primary psychogenic PE (mean age 34 years, standard deviation = 9.15). All patients entered a cycle of 15 sessions of psychodynamic psychotherapy integrating behavioral therapy, each lasting about 45 minutes. The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, each of which performed daily homework exercises (physiotherapy exercises for reinforcing the pelvic floor muscles and cognitive exercises for distancing from sexual failure.) The first group (15 patients) received verbal and printed instructions only (treatment as usual—TAU), whereas the second group (17 patients) experienced the exercises with guidance from the mobile app (app). In both groups, the exercises started after the seventh session. Patients were advised to perform the exercises 3 times a day for 3 months. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measures were the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool and the Premature Ejaculation Profile. Results Analysis of the data revealed significant pre-post improvements in Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool and Premature Ejaculation Profile scores for the app group compared with those of the TAU group ( P < .01). The frequency of patients with no-PE condition for the app group after treatment was significantly higher than the frequency of patients with no-PE condition for the TAU group ( P < .001). Conclusion Results suggest that a mobile coaching app performs better than TAU in improving both the behavioral skills of ejaculatory delay and sexual self-confidence within a psychological treatment for PE. Future studies should collect follow-up data and explore the potential of mobile coaching apps in combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy interventions. Optale G, Burigat S, Chittaro L. et al. Smartphone-Based Therapeutic Exercises for Men Affected by Premature Ejaculation: A Pilot Study. J Sex Med 2020;8:461–471.