Soulhacker: An artist-medical collaboration to treat depression via artistic virtual reality.

Abstract

"Soulhacker" is a pilot study that results from a collaboration between artists and health care providers and is aimed at exploring the potential benefits of an artistic implementation of virtual reality (V.R) to treat depression and anxiety. Soulhacker creates a V.R. environment that embeds a metaphorical engaging model of active patient agency inspired by the work of Milton Erickson. It creates a new level of V.R "presence" that can have therapeutic or transformative effects. Participants reported positive short-term effects on their mood (arousal, valence and control) and presented statistical significant changes in brain electrical activity in hubs belonging to sensi-motor and default mode brain network as measured by qEEG, that are consistent with previous research. These beneficial preliminary results warrant a further larger randomized controlled study to verify those promising effects and positioning of this new form of psychotherapy within existing modalities.