Falconer, CJ; Slater, M; Rovira, A; King, JA; Gilbert, P; Antley, A; Brewin, CR; (2014) Embodying compassion: a virtual reality paradigm for overcoming excessive self-criticism. PLoS One , 9 (11) , Article e111933 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0111933.

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Abstract

Virtual reality has been successfully used to study and treat psychological disorders such as phobias and posttraumatic stress disorder but has rarely been applied to clinically-relevant emotions other than fear and anxiety. Self-criticism is a ubiquitous feature of psychopathology and can be treated by increasing levels of self-compassion. We exploited the known effects of identification with a virtual body to arrange for healthy female volunteers high in self-criticism to experience self-compassion from an embodied first-person perspective within immersive virtual reality. Whereas observation and practice of compassionate responses reduced self-criticism, the additional experience of embodiment also increased self-compassion and feelings of being safe. The results suggest potential new uses for immersive virtual reality in a range of clinical conditions.

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