Putting Oneself in the Body of Others: A Pilot Study on the Efficacy of an Embodied Virtual Reality System to Generate Self-Compassion

Abstract

Compassion-based interventions (CBIs) have been shown to be effective for increasing empathy and compassion, and reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. CBIs are based on constructive meditations where imagery abilities are essential. One of the major difficulties that participants report during the training is the difficulty related to imagery abilities. Virtual reality (VR) can be a useful tool to overcome this limitation because it can facilitate the construction and sustainment of mental images. The machine to be another (TMTBA) uses multi-sensory stimulation to induce a body swap illusion. This system allows participants to see themselves from a third perspective and have the illusion of touching themselves from outside. The main objective of the present study was to analyze the efficacy of a self-compassion meditation procedure based on the TMTBA system versus the usual meditation procedure (CAU) in increasing positive affect states, mindful self-care, and adherence to the practice, and explore the influence of imagery abilities as moderators of the effects of the condition on adherence. A sample of 16 participants were randomly assigned to two conditions: TMTBA-VR and CAU. All participants had to listen to an audio meditation about self-compassion and answer questionnaires before and after the training. The TMTBA-VR condition also had a body swap experience at the end of the meditation while listening to self-compassionate messages. Afterward, they were invited to practice this meditation for 2 weeks and then measured again. After the compassion practice, both conditions significantly increased positive qualities toward self/others, decreased negative qualities toward self, and increased awareness and attention to mental events and bodily sensations, with no differences between the conditions. After 2 weeks, both conditions showed a similar frequency of meditation practice and increases in specific types of self-care behaviors, with the frequency of clinical self-care behaviors being significantly higher in TMTBA. Finally, lower imagery ability in the visual and cutaneous modality were moderators of the efficacy of the TMTBA (vs. CAU) condition in increasing adherence to the practice. Embodied VR could be an interesting tool to facilitate and increase the efficacy of CBIs by facilitating the construction of positive and powerful mental images.

Extended Reality for the Clinical, Affective, and Social Neurosciences

“…This deception involved a blend of mixed videoconference and graphic displays, as well as misleading instructions declaring that participants were "currently living in the real room". Significantly higher levels of presence were found in situations where participants were told they were seeing the "real" room (projected in the head-mounted display in real time) [93]. These results provide further evidence that manipulating presence can result in cognitive appraisals and influence both emotions and presence in VEs where the objective properties have not been altered [116].…”

“…The VR platforms provoke a sense of "presence" (feeling of being there) in participants and has potential for evoking affective arousal in affective neuroscience environments. Researchers have found that the affective arousal stemming from immersive VR can significantly impact a participant's sense of presence [90], feelings of anxiety [91], valence [92], self-compassion [93], arousal in simulated natural environments [94], and various moods in social environments with virtual human avatars [95].…”

Virtual Reality for Neurorehabilitation and Cognitive Enhancement

“…The substitution of one’s own body with a virtual body results in corresponding changes in perception, attitude, and behavior [ 188 ]. While the experimental swapping of bodies [ 189 , 190 , 191 , 192 ] and the body ownership illusion [ 188 , 193 ] may be considered as recreational applications in healthy individuals, the sense of embodiment provides disabled individuals with much more precise and reliable control over BCI-connected robotic devices. Thus, with the advent of VR technologies, it is possible to embody paralyzed individuals and endow them with BCI control over robotic devices, such as robotic arms, spellers, wheelchairs, or drones, all embedded with sensors and running specialized software for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices or systems over the internet [ 175 ].…”

Better, Virtually: the Past, Present, and Future of Virtual Reality Cognitive Behavior Therapy

“…Building on early research (Perpina et al 2003;Perpiñá et al 1999), a VR fullbody illusion has been shown to decrease body image disturbance in anorexia nervosa (Keizer et al 2016). More recently, a VR body swap illusion has been used to increase self-compassion (Cebolla et al 2019). In another recent study, participants practiced delivering compassion in one virtual body and then experienced a recorded version of this act embodied as the receiving party, leading to reduced depression and self-criticism and increased self-compassion (Falconer et al 2016).…”