Virtual Reality Art Therapy and Trauma
A Pilot Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54337/aau.icdvrat26.23Abstract
This pilot study examined a novel, non-exposure-based intervention combining art therapy with a virtual reality (VR) immersive environment among Ukrainian adults displaced by war (N = 13). Using a within-subject design, participants completed both VR and paper-based tasks. Results indicated that VR reduced PTSD symptoms similarly to the traditional paper-based art therapy condition. Although slightly greater reductions in PTSD and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) were observed in the VR condition, these differences were not statistically significant. Findings may reflect high baseline symptom severity and the brief intervention. Nevertheless, results support the feasibility and potential of immersive art-based approaches for trauma intervention.
References
World Health Organization. (2024, May 27). Post-traumatic stress disorder. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/post-traumatic-stress-disorder
Charlson F, van Ommeren M, Flaxman A, Cornett J, Whiteford H, Saxena S. New WHO prevalence estimates of mental disorders in conflict settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2019 Jul 20;394(10194):240-248. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30934-1. Epub 2019 Jun 12. PMID: 31200992; PMCID: PMC6657025.
Kessler RC, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Benjet C, Bromet EJ, Cardoso G, et al. Trauma and PTSD in the WHO world mental health surveys. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2017;8(sup5):1353383. doi:10.1080/20008198.2017.1353383.
Rizzo, A., Reger, G., Gahm, G., Difede, J., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2009). Virtual reality exposure therapy for combat-related PTSD. In P. J. Shiromani, T. M. Keane, & J. E. LeDoux (Eds.), Post-traumatic stress disorder: Basic science and clinical practice (pp. 375–399). Humana Press/Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-329-9_18
Rizzo A', Shilling R. Clinical Virtual Reality tools to advance the prevention, assessment, and treatment of PTSD. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2017 Jan 16;8(sup5):1414560. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2017.1414560. PMID: 29372007; PMCID: PMC5774399.
Hadjipanayi C, Banakou D and Michael-Grigoriou D (2023) Art as therapy in virtual reality: A scoping review. Front. Virtual Real. 4:1065863. doi: 10.3389/frvir.2023.1065863
Shamri Zeevi L. Making Art Therapy Virtual: Integrating Virtual Reality Into Art Therapy With Adolescents. Front Psychol. 2021 Feb 4;12:584943. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.584943. PMID: 33613377; PMCID: PMC7889518.
Prieto, M., Alcántara-López, M., Castro Sáez, M., Martínez Pérez, A., Fernández Fernández, V., & López-Soler, C. (2025). Psychological treatment in childhood trauma with support in virtual reality. Ansiedad y Estrés, 31(2), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.5093/anyes2025a9
Yap, Y. R., & Lee, Y. L. (2024, November). Break Times: Virtual reality art therapy. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.05146
Cloitre M, Shevlin M, Brewin CR, Bisson JI, Roberts NP, Maercker A, Karatzias T, Hyland P. The International Trauma Questionnaire: development of a self-report measure of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018 Dec;138(6):536-546. doi: 10.1111/acps.12956. Epub 2018 Sep 3. PMID: 30178492.
