Mental Health Virtual Reality E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 477

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Thorough review of how virtual reality technology is transforming the field of mental health

MHVR: The Power of Immersive Worlds is an expansive and highly insightful exploration into the integration of virtual reality (VR) within the spectrum of mental health offerings. This book is not merely a collection of research and examples; it is a journey through the evolution of VR, tracing its origins from visionary fiction to a substantial, transformative tool in mental health therapy.

Written in a modular format with case studies included throughout, this book features contributions from well-known names in the fields of mental health and technology. Readers will learn about:

• How VR can help clients “paint a picture” during therapy, such as with the help of the Apple Vision Pro and similar devices
• Various applications of VR in the field of mental health, from suicide assessment, treatment, and prevention, to addiction, to trauma therapy in warzones
• Hygiene practices in cybersecurity and data management to keep client data private, safe, and secure

MHVR: The Power of Immersive Worlds earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all mental health professionals seeking state-of-the-art knowledge to help improve patient outcomes, as well as all curious individuals seeking to understand more about the latest VR developments and how they can be used to change the world for the better.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

List of Contributors

About the Authors

About the Companion Website

Section I: Fundamentals

CHAPTER ONE: MHVR Introduction and History

THE DAWN OF VIRTUAL REALITY: VIRTUAL REALITY AND SPATIAL COMPUTING

HISTORY

THIS BOOK

THE FUTURE IS HERE: IMMERSIVE TECH AND MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

REFERENCES

CHAPTER TWO: Current Directions in Research on Virtual Reality for Mental Healthcare

OVERVIEW OF CURRENT RESEARCH ON MHVR

FUTURE RESEARCH IN MHVR

REFERENCES

CHAPTER THREE: The Reality of Virtual Human Connections

TRANSFORMATIVE HUMAN INTERACTIONS

ESTABLISHING SAFE CONNECTIONS

THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

REFERENCES

Section II: Considerations

CHAPTER FOUR: Ethics, Rights, and Cybersecurity

THE TOPIC OF ETHICS

HISTORICAL PATHWAYS

CYBERETHICS, ETHICS, RIGHTS TO WHAT, AND PROTECTION OF WHAT?

THE ETHICAL FRAMEWORK OF DATA PROTECTION, PRIVACY, RIGHTS, AND FREEDOMS

WHY DATA PROTECTION AND CYBERSECURITY IS AN ETHICAL NECESSITY

AN ETHICAL DILEMMA: PREVENTION OF DATA BREACHES

CASE EXAMPLES OF DATA BREACHES AND OTHER ISSUES

BIG TECH AND BIG DATA: DATA MINING AND ACCESS BY BAD ACTORS

BIG DATA, BIG PROBLEMS?

WHAT ABOUT NEURORIGHTS?

CYBERSECURITY TRAINING FOR INDIVIDUALS, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, AND LARGER BUSINESSES: THE ETHICAL SOLUTION?

CONCLUSION: ETHICAL GOLDEN THREAD

REFERENCES

CHAPTER FIVE: Neurorights in Immersive Worlds: Safeguarding Cognitive Freedom in Virtual Realms

EXPLAINING NEURORIGHTS: PROTECTING THE MIND IN A DIGITAL AGE

IMMERSIVE WORLDS: VIRTUAL REALITY (VR), AUGMENTED REALITY (AR), AND MIXED REALITY (MR)

THE INTERSECTION OF NEURORIGHTS AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES

HISTORY AND RESEARCH ON NEURORIGHTS IN IMMERSIVE WORLDS

PIONEERING WORK ON COGNITIVE FREEDOM IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

IMPLICATIONS OF NEURORIGHTS IN IMMERSIVE REALMS

CASE EXAMPLES OF NEURORIGHTS IN IMMERSIVE WORLDS

THE FUTURE OF NEURORIGHTS IN IMMERSIVE WORLDS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER SIX: Accessibility Components in Virtual Reality

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR)

DEFINITION OF ACCESSIBILITY, DISABILITY, AND INCLUSIVITY

DIGITAL EXCLUSION

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND VIRTUAL REALITY

DESIGN IN VIRTUAL REALITY: PROCESS AND IMPORTANCE

IMMERSION AND PRESENCE: THE GOALS OF VR AND GAMING

ACCESSIBILITY COMPONENTS IN VR

ACCESSIBILITY CHECKPOINTS IN DESIGN

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Section III: Environments

CHAPTER SEVEN: Virtual Reality in Clinical Mental Health

INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL MHVR

BENEFITS OF MHVR

TYPES OF VR SYSTEMS USED IN THERAPY

NOMENCLATURE

MHVR CLINICAL CONCEPTS

HISTORY AND RESEARCH IN VR FOR MENTAL HEALTH

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

CASE EXAMPLE

PRACTICAL LIMITATIONS, CONCERNS, AND CONSIDERATIONS

CLINICIAN CONSIDERATIONS

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER EIGHT: Drama Therapy and Virtual Reality: The Future of Creative Embodiment

DIGITAL DRAMA THERAPY: STATE OF THE FIELD

EMBODIMENT AND PRESENCE IN VIRTUAL REALITY AND DRAMA THERAPY

VRDT: A MODEL

BREAKDOWN OF VRDT

INITIAL STAGES OF VRDT METHOD

VRDT METHOD EXPLORATION PHASE

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

REFERENCES

CHAPTER NINE: Convergence of Extended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Leaning, and Wearable Sensors in the Field of Education

OVERVIEW

KEY TERMINOLOGY

HISTORY

RESEARCH CASE EXAMPLE

LIMITATIONS OF AI AND ML

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Section IV: Populations

CHAPTER TEN: Virtual Reality and Neurodivergence

NEURODIVERGENCE

NEURODIVERGENCE AND THE VR CONNECTION

CASE EXAMPLE: JAY, A 17‐YEAR‐OLD AUTISTIC MALE

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Treating Anxiety Disorders with Virtual Reality

WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY THERAPY?

RELEVANT RESEARCH FINDINGS

CASE EXAMPLES

OBSTACLES TO WIDESPREAD ADOPTION

THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN TREATING ANXIETY DISORDERS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER TWELVE: The Virtual Ukraine Project: Trauma Therapy in Warzones with Virtual Reality

THE IMPACT OF WAR ON MENTAL HEALTH

VIRTUAL UKRAINE PROJECT

PROJECT 1: TRANSLATION OF THE BRAVEMIND VR EXPOSURE THERAPY (VRET) SYSTEM FOR PTSD TREATMENT WITH UKRAINIAN WARFIGHTERS AND CIVILIANS

PROJECT 2: THE VIRTUAL SANDTRAY – TREATING TRAUMA IN UKRAINIAN CHILDREN DUE TO ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES)

PROJECT 3: VIRTUAL UKRAINE METAVERSE SOCIAL SUPPORT APPLICATION

PROJECT 4: THE SANCTUARY—A VIRTUAL REALITY APPLICATION TO SUPPORT MINDFULNESS, MEDITATION, AND RELAXATION

LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Virtual Reality: Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Health Disorders

SUICIDE ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION

DEFINING SUICIDE

ASSESSMENT OF SUICIDE

TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

SUICIDE TREATMENT AND VIRTUAL REALITY EXPOSURE THERAPY

VR INTERVENTIONS FOR TREATING MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS

IMPLICATIONS OF VR IN SUICIDE TREATMENT

BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS

FUTURE NEEDS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Virtual Reality Approaches to Trauma‐Based Mental Healthcare

DEFINITION AND OVERVIEW

HISTORY AND RESEARCH

BY THE NUMBERS: DEMOGRAPHICS AND STATISTICS OF TRAUMA

EVIDENCE‐BASED MODALITIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TRAUMA‐BASED DISORDERS AND SYMPTOMS

IMPLICATIONS

CONSIDERATIONS FOR CLINICAL SUITABILITY

IMPLEMENTATION AND INTEGRATION

CASE EXAMPLE

CREATIVE ADAPTATION OF EVIDENCE‐BASED PRACTICES FOR VR‐INCLUSIVE TRAUMA CARE

PRACTICE

LIMITATIONS AND SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

CONCLUDING VR‐INCLUSIVE TRAUMA CARE

REFERENCES

GLOSSARY AND TERMS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Virtual Reality and Chronic Pain

TURNING PAIN INTO POSSIBILITIES

PAIN MANAGEMENT: HISTORY AND SCIENCE

APPLICATIONS OF VR IN PAIN MANAGEMENT

DISTRACTION AND MINDFULNESS

PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL PAIN MANAGEMENT

IMPLICATIONS

LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

REFERENCES

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Pediatrics in Hospitals

TOPIC DEFINITION AND OVERVIEW

HISTORY AND RESEARCH

IMPLICATIONS

LIMITATIONS AND CONCERNS

FUTURE

REFERENCES

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Using Virtual Reality to Support Children with Cancer

DEVELOPMENT OF 18LOOP

THE JEIRS QUALITATIVE STUDY: INITIAL CASE STUDY

LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 7

Table 7.1 MHVR Clinical Implications

Chapter 10

Table 10.1 AutPlay® Special Interests Inventory

List of Illustrations

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1 Publications for “virtual reality” and “mental health” in PubMed,...

Chapter 12

Figure 12.1 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.2 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.3 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.4 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.5 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.6 Virtual Sandtray LLC.

Figure 12.7 Giosan/Deac/Rizzo.

Chapter 14

Figure 14.1

The CIIP‐C model of VR‐inclusive trauma care

. The CI...

Guide

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

List of Contributors

About the Authors

About the Companion Website

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Index

WILEY END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

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Mental Health Virtual Reality

The Power of Immersive Worlds

Edited by

Jessica Stone

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence technologies or similar technologies.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

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List of Contributors

Rachel A. AltvaterCreative Psychological Health Services711 Karn Ct., Brunswick, MD [email protected]

Leslie BakerTherapy2Thrive® of Ruby Hill Marriage and Family Counseling Center, Inc.5133 Rappolla Court, Pleasanton, CA, [email protected]

Janelle BarerraDoxy.me Inc.University of South Florida”Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences3515 E. Fletcher AveTampa, FL [email protected]

Ehud BodnerBar‐Ilan UniversityMax & Anna Webb St.Ramat Gan, Israel [email protected]

Brian E. BunnellDoxy.me Inc.University of South FloridaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences3515 E. Fletcher AveTampa, FL [email protected]

DeAnne C. Canieso University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill213 Chateau Way, Angier, NC [email protected]

Ikseon ChoiEmory [email protected]

Mollie CumminsDoxy.me Inc.University of UtahSpencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine10 S 2000 EastSalt Lake City, UT 84112‐[email protected]

George Deac, Ph.D.8agora Inc.89‐91 Timisoara Blvd.Bucharest, Romania [email protected]

Svetlana DragayevaCEO and Director, Virry Health2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AUUK [email protected]

Cezar Giosan, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology and Cognitive ScienceUniversity of Bucharest33‐40 88th StreetJackson Heights, NY [email protected]

Robert Jason GrantFounder/Creator: AutPlay Therapy3322 S. Campbell Ave. Suite R.Springfield, MO. [email protected]

Monique HillUniversity of the Witwatersrand, South [email protected]

Julia IvanovaDoxy.me Inc.Arizona State University18 Broad Street 3rd Floor, Suite 6 & 7Charleston, SC [email protected]

Amanda KavnerState University of NY‐ Farmingdale170 Albany St, Deer Park, NY [email protected]

Catherine KnibbsCatherine Knibbs Ltd.3 West Parade, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 1LT [email protected]

Richard LambUniversity of GeorgiaOffice 3533, 501 D.W. Brooks Dr. Athens GA [email protected]

Shel MannFireflyVR7123 Highover DrChanhassen, Minnesota, [email protected]

Elizabeth McMahonIndependent Practice, San Francisco, CA2929 Webster Street, San Francisco, CA 94123‐4005elizabeth@elizabeth‐mcmahon.com

Valentino MegaleSoftcare Studios and XRSI EuropeVia Giovanni Spadolini 5, 65128, Pescara (PE), [email protected]

Marzena Anna MichalewskaBorn Studios613A Ferry Road, EH4 2TT [email protected]

Lebogang MokgatleUniversity of the Witwatersrand, South [email protected]

Triton OngDoxy.me Inc.7539 Melvin RoadJacksonville, FL [email protected]

Tosha OwensEast Carolina UniversityEast 5th Street, 120 Rivers BuildingGreenville, NC [email protected]

James M. PerezColorado Mesa University3161 Arrowhead Drive, Grand Junction, CO [email protected]

Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Ph.D.Director, Medical Virtual Reality, University of Southern CaliforniaInstitute for Creative Technologies, 552 Crane Blvd., Los Angeles, CA., USA

Gillian RodriguezTexas A&M University San Antonio; Trellis Counseling & Co. PLLC239 WICKERSHAM, BOERNE, TX [email protected]

Hiral SoniDoxy.me Inc.Arizona State University18 Broad Street 3rd Floor, Suite 6 & 7Charleston, SC [email protected]

Jessica Stone, Ph.D.CEO Virtual Sandtray, LLCPrivate Practice Psychologist at Jessica Stone, Ph.D., LLC151 N. Cherry St. Fruita, CO [email protected]

Oksana Syvak, MDInstitute of Postgraduate Education of National Technical University of Ukraine9, Triochsvyatytelska Str., Apr.1Kyiv, Ukraine [email protected]

Gregory Tarnacki18Loop118 Park Avenue, Apartment 404, Rutherford, NJ [email protected]

Brandon M. WelchDoxy.me Inc.18 Broad Street 3rd Floor, Suite 6 & 7Charleston, SC [email protected]

Christine Wheeler‐Case JonesResilience Counseling and Social Skills Center1110 Walker DriveFredericksburg, Virginia [email protected]

Hattie WilczewskiDoxy.me Inc.18 Broad Street 3rd Floor, Suite 6 & 7Charleston, SC [email protected]

Olya Zaporozhets, PhDProfessor and Director of the Ukraine Institute for Education in Psychology & CounselingFounder, Institute of Postgraduate Education of National Technical University of Ukraine Regent UniversityRegent University1000 Regent University Dr., CRB 213Virginia Beach, VA [email protected]

About the Authors

Dr. Rachel A. Altvater (Psy.D., RPT‐S™), is an award‐winning, pioneering expert, leader, researcher, international trainer, author, and supervisor in the field of play therapy. She is a licensed psychologist in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area (Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia), and she holds national certifications as a Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor™ and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is the owner of Creative Psychological Health Services, co‐owner of North Star Creations, president of the Maryland/DC Association for Play Therapy, editorial advisory board member for the International Journal of Play Therapy®, and clinical consultant for Hopscotch. Dr. Altvater authored the book Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities, published her research in the International Journal of Play Therapy on technology use in play therapy, and is a contributing author in numerous scholarly texts on implementing digital technologies in play therapy practice.

Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT‐S™, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 30 years of experience in mental health. Previous to creating her group practice, Leslie spent over 20 years providing graduate‐level education as a faculty associate professor and retired as lead area chair in Master University of Phoenix in San Jose, California. She is currently the owner/executive director of Therapy2Thrive® Marriage and Family Counseling Center, Inc., where she provides treatment, consultation, and supervision. Leslie is a certified Gottman Therapist since 2016 and became a certified Suicide Bereavement Clinician since 2017. Her work with families focuses on topics of loss and grief, trauma, suicide, homicide, and virtual reality in therapy. Leslie presents internationally. She is the author of Healing Feelings: A Healing Story for Children Coping with a Grownup's Mental Illness' and the co‐author of many other publications. Leslie is an active member of Mental Health Virtual Reality (MHVR). She is a member of the Association for Play Therapy, California Association for Play Therapy, California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and East Bay CAMFT and World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals®.

Janelle Barrera, MPH, is a research manager at doxy.me and a research coordinator at the University of South Florida. She has a background in public health with a concentration on health education. Her research interest is to integrate public health and health technology, with a particular focus on developing/evaluating health technologies to improve access to quality care in minority and underserved populations and reach health equity. Her current research focus on the cultural competence of telemental health providers.

Ehud Bodner, is a full professor at Bar‐Ilan University, Israel. Between October and April 2024, he joined voluntarily the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and treated on an individual and group basis soldiers with ASD and PTSD. Ehud is a staff member of the Department of Social and Health Sciences and the Music Department. His main research interest is gerontology. He concentrates on models delineating the relationship between ageism and other perceptions of aging, and on various aspects of health and mental health among older adults. In the field of psychology of music, he studied the social and the musical components enabling music to unite people in social groups. He also focused on emotion regulation through music in young and older adults. In his second academic career, he published around 150 peer‐reviewed papers and 12 chapters in edited books. Ehud’s first career began as a clinical and medical psychologist working with rear and combatant soldiers and ended as the head of the research branch in the Medical Corps of the IDF. Over the last 30 years, he is using CBT and hypnosis in his work with young and older patients with anxiety disorders, PTSD, somatization, depression, and personality disorders. He is also supervising clinicians. Since 2022 he became involved in virtual reality (VR) projects with international and local colleagues and with his graduate students and is incorporating VR in clinical practice. He believes researchers and psychotherapists can implement their clinical experience in innovative VR simulations for the benefit of their patients.

Brian E. Bunnell, is assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida (USF) and a licensed psychologist in Florida. He co‐founded and is chief executive officer of Adhere.ly LLC and is director of research for doxy.me. His expertise is in mixed methods research and implementation science approaches to improve the assessment and treatment of anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, and sleep across the developmental spectrum, with a particular focus on developing and evaluating health technology solutions to improve access and quality of care (e.g., telemedicine, eHealth, mHealth, artificial intelligence, virtual reality).

DeAnne C. Canieso, PhD, MPH, is currently a Rehabilitation Services Administration Scholar and Clinical Rehabilitation Counselor student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with research interest in the application of XR for veterans with PTSD and co‐occurring chronic illness. She has more than 15 years of experience in communication and health tech, with additional managerial and public affairs work in government agencies and health policy organizations. She received her PhD from George Mason University in Health Communication, where her research explored expectancy violations and emotion features of mental health narratives in tech‐mediated communication.

Ikseon Choi, is a professor and assistant dean of Education Systems Science at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. Before joining Emory, he was a professor of learning, design, and technology at the University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education. During his tenure at UGA, he led the SAVE (Situation‐based Authentic Virtual Environments) Research Group (formerly known as Case‐based e‐Learning Research Group) for over 20 years, and more than 30 graduate students received intensive mentorship through various projects. He was also a founding director of an interdisciplinary research lab, Research And Innovation in Learning (RAIL), which focuses on the intersection between learning and technology to create innovative educational solutions (e.g., new curricula, instructional methods, learning technology, educational systems, and so forth) to address urgent educational issues at local, societal, and global levels. He promotes and practices “socially responsible and responsive educational research,” through which he tries to impact education practices at all levels.

Mollie Cummins, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, holds a PhD in nursing science and information science from Indiana University and studied methods of complexity science including agent‐based modeling and network analysis at the Santa Fe Institute. Prior to her career in informatics, she practiced as an emergency nurse and family nurse practitioner. She has made numerous scholarly contributions in informatics, particularly in the areas of data science, exposure health informatics, and telemedicine.

George Deac, co‐founded 8agora and leads the VR/AR Engineering Group as chief technology officer. Building his software engineering career over the past two decades, he initially focused on developing software for multimedia applications, combining his skills in design, 3D modeling, video graphics with programming skills, and his experience in streaming solutions. After experiencing online TV solutions and streaming platforms, in 2015 he developed the first virtual reality (VR) platform for training and since then has been involved in numerous VR projects, working continuously to improve it. Current version of 8agora (an open and decentralized metaverse) is running in the cloud and granting users web‐based remote access to the client application from any device with low power consumption and minimal internet bandwidth requirements. His overarching goal is to democratize the metaverse, making it a potent and accessible tool for everyone. In essence, his work seeks to redefine the landscape of social VR, transforming it into a dynamic platform for enhanced collaboration, connectivity, and productivity. The fusion of advanced technologies within a user‐friendly interface opens new avenues for diverse industries and individuals, making the metaverse an inclusive and powerful resource. He has also been involved in data management and digital twin technologies for Industry 4.0 for the past six years, with a PhD in this field.

Svetlana Dragayeva, is the founder and CEO of Fountain Digital Labs and Virry Health, an ethical tech company specializing in VR products for mental health and neurodegenerative diseases. With a background of 10 years in film production as an executive producer, Svetlana also serves as a producer for ambitious projects across various domains. Currently based in London, she originally hails from Odessa, Ukraine. Svetlana holds degrees in cognitive linguistics, politics, cultural studies, and narratology, and has also taught film at OSU. She has been honored with a BAFTA award, two Webby awards, and a Lovies award. Additionally, she was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in London by Evening Standard.

Cezar Giosan, is a clinical psychologist, associate professor of Psychology, and director of the Center for Applied Psychology at the University of Bucharest. Dr. Giosan obtained his PhD from New School University in New York. His main research interests revolve around novel interventions for mental disorders, especially applications of cutting‐edge technologies, such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, or blockchain, in therapy. Dr. Giosan was a part of a team at Cornell University who pioneered the use of virtual reality exposure therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in 9/11 victims, and some of his subsequent work focused on the development and testing of virtual worlds for the treatment and better understanding of the consequences of trauma in war veterans. Dr. Giosan has also developed evolutionary‐informed interventions for depression, these efforts having materialized in multiple publications, as well as a therapy manual. To learn more about Dr. Giosan, please visit him at www.giosan.com.

Dr. Robert Jason Grant, is the creator of AutPlay® Therapy. He is a therapist, supervisor, and consultant and utilizes several years of advanced training and his own lived neurodivergent experience to provide affirming services to children and their families. He is an international trainer and keynote presenter and multi‐published author of several articles and books. He is currently serving on the board of directors for the Association for Play Therapy.

Monique Hill, was one of the first cohort of South African drama therapists trained at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2014–2015. She is a Certified Cyber Therapist, clinical supervisor, research supervisor, and lecturer. She is currently based in Munich, Germany, and runs a private practice: Drama Therapy Online. She is a pioneer of text‐based online drama therapy, offering sessions via email and instant messaging, in addition to video call and virtual reality. As a PhD candidate, her research focuses on the use of solo role‐playing games in text‐based drama therapy. Monique sits on the executive committee of the South African National Arts Therapies Association as head of Ethics and Legal. She also runs webinars to train drama therapists in online techniques and ethical issues, which have reached therapists in 13 countries and 5 continents. She can be contacted at [email protected]

Julia Ivanova, MA, PhD, is a research associate at doxy.me and a medical anthropologist. She has a psychology, global health, healthcare design, and biomedical informatics background. Her use of mixed‐methodology in healthcare focuses on understanding stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and knowledge. Her research currently focuses on the legal landscape for healthcare technologies and how healthcare stakeholders’ current needs and experiences identify areas for policy change.

Amanda Kavner, completed her PhD, in April 2020 in the Curriculum, Instruction and the Science of Learning Program of the University at Buffalo, concentrating on machine learning applications in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience. She is a New York secondary public‐school science teacher and a NYS Master Teacher Fellow. She is a certified educational technology specialist and has taught courses in chemistry, biology, genetics, marine biology, and forensics. As a high school educator and researcher, Kavner focuses on the applications of new research in the classroom. Her research focuses on the development and application of cognitive computational models in educational assessment and curricular development using machine learning algorithms to analyze neurocognitive measurements recorded in educational environments. Her interdisciplinary work is based on cognitive psychology, the neuroscience of behavior, psychometrics, and computer science. The aim is to connect basic neuroscience of behavior and psychological study into educational practice.

Catherine Knibbs, is a clinical doctoral researcher, online harms and cybertrauma consultant, public speaker, author of six books (five to date with Routledge), an educator, and TEDx speaker. She is a child/adult trauma psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. She is also a functional health practitioner integrating DNA and body functions testing and nutrigenomics into her work with clients. She works with global and national organizations regarding child sexual abuse material and how to prevent cybertrauma burnout in those roles. She works with global organizations consulting on mental health and immersive technologies (MHVR) and the harms that can occur in the new digital spaces (XRSI). She writes about and works with cybertrauma, which is any trauma that occurs through an internet‐ready device or medium. She also educates therapists and practitioners via her company name Privacy4 about data protection/privacy/cybersecurity issues in relation to their practice. She disrupts and advocates for children’s rights, privacy, and online digital explorations. Catherine is also the mental health advisor for Gamers Beat Cancer charity. She uses gaming in therapeutic situations, coaching, trauma psychotherapy, and for getting the best from yourself. She has been using biofeedback/tech and gaming for over a decade to elicit posttraumatic growth, healing, and flow in her clients and self. Her books include Cybertrauma: The Darker Side of the Internet; Children, Technology and Healthy Development; Children and Sexual‐Based Online Harms; Cybertrauma and Online Harms; and Data Protection and Cybersecurity for Practitioners. The newest one forms part of the BPS Ask the expert series with Routledge called How to Manage Your Social Media and Gaming Habits.

Richard Lamb, PhD, is a member of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and the Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy and College of Veterinary Medicine. He is currently the director of the Neurocognition Science Laboratory at the University of Georgia. He earned his PhD from George Mason University, College of Education and Human Development, in 2013 in Science Education and Measurement. His research focuses on the identification of cognitive markers of learning, increasing efficacy and performance of neural processing and cognition during learning using novel technologies in educational environments. A second area of related research is in the use of psychophysio‐measurement tools and virtual and synthetic environments to provide access to learning opportunities and assessment of mental status and socioemotional health interventions for students at all levels of the P‐20 continuum. Using advanced technologies, he seeks to shape the biopsychosocial aspects of learning and mental health, to promote learning and well‐being across the lifespan. His work is interdisciplinary and draws from computer science, cognitive psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and psychometrics. The purpose of Lamb’s research is to translate basic behavioral neuroscience and psychological research into educational and counseling practice.

Shel Mann (CEO), brings over three decades of experience as a successful entrepreneur of educational software and video game companies. As co‐founder of J3 learning, Shel led the business development efforts working with government and Fortune 500 companies utilizing J3’s pedagogically designed software training products. J3 Learning was acquired in 1996 by Gartner Group (GDI). Big Island Publishing was founded in 1996 by Mann and produced several video games on multiple platforms, including PC, Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation, and Nintendo Wii, that were published by Atari, Universal (Activision), and THQ. He also consulted with Atari on several projects. FireflyVR (founded in 2016) has focused on the immersive capabilities of VR combined with bio‐signals for health. FireflyVR is advancing VR environments to engage the brain to help reset maladaptive behaviors. Because neurons that fire together wire together, the use of guided VR promotes neural activity to retrain and restore functional plasticity that goes awry when people get addicted or other indications. By collaborating with health professionals, including neuroscientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and others in his network, FireflyVR folds this medical expertise into its design to build engaging and delightful experiences to help patients. Currently, his team is building out a platform for mental health called The Sanctuary to address many indications.

Elizabeth McMahon, PhD, is an expert on the use of virtual reality (VR) in treating anxiety. She has used virtual reality with her patients since 2010 and has specialized in evidence‐based treatment for anxiety for over 40 years. She provides training and consultation internationally. Dr. McMahon’s publications include book chapters and articles in peer‐reviewed journals. Her workbook, Overcoming Anxiety and Panic, an interactive guide, steps the reader through effective treatment for anxiety and panic attacks. It can be used by clients and therapists. Her therapist manual, Virtual Reality Therapy for Anxiety: A Guide for Therapists, written with Debra Boeldt, PhD, teaches therapists how to successfully use VR to treat anxiety disorders including virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). It summarizes the research supporting VR’s many therapeutic uses and brings the academic information vividly to life with case examples. The book is part of Stanford’s Virtual Reality Immersive Technology training curriculum. Dr. McMahon’s webinar “Virtual Reality (VR) for Anxiety and Phobia Treatment” is available on www.PESI.com. Her simulated case session of treating needle phobia with VRET is available on www.SVRT.org. See www.Elizabeth‐McMahon.com, https://www.overcoming.guide, and https://www.virtualrealitytherapyforanxiety.com/ for more information.

Valentino Megale, is startup founder and CEO of Softcare Studios, a digital health company developing VR solutions in healthcare, mainly in the domain of virtual sedation and drug‐free pain management in pediatric and adult patients undergoing painful and invasive medical procedures. He has a PhD in the field of neuropharmacology, is a startup mentor, and lectures at the International MBA of the Rome Business School, with a special focus on digital transformation and the role of AI and XR in business management, HR, and digital marketing. As a member of XRSI (X Reality Safety Intelligence), Megale is also an advisor in digital safety and privacy related to virtual worlds (with a focus on child safety and medical XR) and is currently president of XRSI Europe based in Turin. He is also a TEDx speaker and author on emerging technologies, digital transformation, and social impact.

Marzena Anna Michalewska, is a lead UX designer specializing in design for mixed reality experiences, with over five years of experience in the field. Her design philosophy is centered on the users and their needs. By understanding users' goals, motivations, pain points, and requirements, she creates enjoyable, meaningful, and intuitive experiences. Marzena is driven by a strong will to create VR experiences that leave a lasting impression on users. Focused on designing for inclusivity and accessibility, she strives for experiences allowing everyone to escape reality and immerse themselves in new and exciting VR worlds.

Lebogang Mokgatle obtained his MA, in Drama Therapy from the University of the Witwatersrand. His master’s research looked at the application of VR in therapy while utilizing role play for individuals with anxiety symptoms subsequently developing a virtual reality drama therapy (VRDT) model. He currently offers virtual and in‐person VR sessions and runs a practice at Eagles View Wellness Centre, an addiction center with focus on holistic healing through the 12‐step program. He is one of two founders of Khalipha Arts, a company specializing in utilizing performance for therapeutic outcome.

Triton Ong, PhD, combines principles of behavior science with games research to fight loneliness and despair. He emphasizes the experimental analysis of human behavior and user‐focused game design techniques to provide engaging and meaningful experiences for health and wellness. As a senior research associate at doxy.me, he conducts peer‐reviewed research on telehealth technologies to enhance the capabilities of more than 1 million healthcare providers around the world. He is currently in the final stages of a Phase I research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to build Doxy.me VR: the first evidence‐based immersive telehealth platform.

Tosha Owens, PhD, is an associate professor of Special Education at East Carolina University. Her research interests include increasing access to the general education setting for students with challenging behavior, culturally responsive behavioral support, reducing disproportionate discipline for minority students through positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS), and integration of school‐based mental health supports within a PBIS framework. She is a graduate of UNC Charlotte, where she was a graduate assistant for the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT). She was the recipient of the Association for Positive Behavior Support Ted Carr Outstanding Poster award in 2016 and recently received the Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Research, Student Research Award in the area of Single‐Subject Design for her study examining the effects of a tiered teacher coaching package on the implementation fidelity of a self‐monitoring strategy with students at risk for EBD.

James M. Perez, PhD, teaches courses in theory, writing/reporting, audio production, and public relations. He has had opportunities to record and perform for radio in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. His research interests include the performance and dissemination of justice in the platforms of reality television and social media. Perez graduated in 2014 with a doctorate in communication from the University of California, San Diego.

Albert “Skip” Rizzo, is a clinical psychologist and director of Medical Virtual Reality at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. He is also a research professor with the USC Department of Psychiatry and at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. His career began as a clinician providing rehabilitative services for persons with traumatic brain injuries and stroke. Over the last 30 years, Skip has conducted research on the design, development and evaluation of virtual reality systems targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment and rehabilitation across the domains of psychological, cognitive and motor functioning in both healthy and clinical populations. This work has focused on PTSD, TBI, autism, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other clinical conditions. Some of his recent work has involved the creation of intelligent virtual human (VH) patients that novice clinicians can use to practice skills required for challenging diagnostic interviews. He has also developed VHs for use as online/mobile virtual human healthcare guides and as clinical interviewers with automated sensing of facial, gestural, and vocal behaviors useful for inferring the state of the user interacting with these virtual human entities. In spite of the diversity of these clinical R&D areas, the common thread that drives all of his work with digital technologies involves the study of how interactive and immersive virtual reality simulations can be usefully applied to address human healthcare needs beyond what is possible with traditional twentieth‐century tools and methods. To view some videos of this work, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/AlbertSkipRizzo/videos

Gillian Rodriguez, MA, LPC, is an adjunct faculty member at Texas A&M University San Antonio and the CEO of Trellis Counseling & Co. PLLC. She specializes in suicide pre/inter/post‐ventions, trauma and traumatic grief counseling. Her most recent presentations have been received at Any Baby Can (2024), The American Association of Suicidology (2022), Psych Congress (2021), and The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2020). Gillian is trained in EMDR, crisis response planning, and VR‐based therapeutic interventions as well as trauma and grief component therapy and mental health first aid. She developed ©After Suicide: Survive, Learn, Heal, a virtual group therapy curriculum, in response to personally experiencing suicide bereavement in 2019. She has served as a crisis and trauma counselor in Uvalde, Texas, after the Robb Elementary School mass‐shooting tragedy, and as an advisor for the State of Texas Child Fatality Review Regional Team. She is the 2024–2025 president‐elect for the Texas Counseling Association Hill Country Chapter and is pursuing certification as an end‐of‐life doula. She continues to blend experience with innovation by integrating trauma‐informed virtual reality play therapy (TIVRPT) in clinical practice, research, and academia. Finally, she is a two‐time cancer survivor and has utilized VR to maximize her own recovery and further understand the participant’s perspective.

Hiral Soni, PhD, is a senior research associate at doxy.me and an adjunct faculty member of Biomedical Informatics at Arizona State University. She holds a PhD in biomedical informatics, and her expertise is in the development of sophisticated patient‐ and provider‐centered technologies and solutions to enhance patient care, preferences, and clinical workflows. Her current research focuses on enhancing online health data collection, remote informed consent processes, and pediatric telemedicine workflows.

Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT‐S, is a licensed psychologist working in a private practice setting. She has been a practitioner, professor, presenter, mentor, and author for more than 30 years. Dr. Stone’s interest in therapeutic digital tools, specifically using virtual reality, tablets, and consoles and AI, has culminated in clinical mental health use and research for mental health, medical, and crisis settings. She is the co‐creator of the Virtual Sandtray App for iPad (VSA) and the Virtual Sandtray for Virtual Reality (VSA‐VR). Dr. Stone is the past chief psychology officer for AscendantVR, is a member of various boards, and serves as an affiliate of the East Carolina University College of Education Neurocognition Science Laboratory.

Oksana Syvak, is a Ukrainian public figure, organizer of the healthcare industry of Ukraine, a doctor, Deputy Minister for Veterans of Ukraine for European Integration. Since December 2023, she has been working as deputy minister of Ukraine for Veterans Affairs on European Integration, coordinating the directions of European integration, physical and mental health of veterans, members of their families and families of fallen Defenders and Defenders. A doctor by education, for 16 years she worked as a doctor in KCCB No. 1, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Kyiv. She was one of the leaders of the Maidan Medical Service during the Revolution of Dignity (2014) and since then has been actively engaged in volunteer activities. In 2016–2017, she worked as deputy minister of Health for European Integration. She rallied and led a team of experts in the field of physical and rehabilitation medicine, which for five years has been working to create a model of a modern rehabilitation system in healthcare. She was a member of the working group on the preparation of legislative changes in this area. As a result, in 2020, the Parliament adopted the Law of Ukraine on Rehabilitation in the Field of Health Care. With the support of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ukraine, she created a physical rehabilitation department at the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital. She attracted funding from the Zaporuka Charitable Foundation and opened the first rehabilitation department at an oncological medical institution at the National Cancer Institute. She worked as director of the International Institute of Postgraduate Education. Oksana Syvak founded the public organization; Association of Psychological Counseling and Trauma Therapy; which provides psychological assistance on evidence‐based methods of therapy for military personnel, veterans and their families. Currently, as Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs for European Integration, she is working on the draft law; Basic Principles of Veteran Policy in Ukraine.

Gregory Tarnacki, is the CEO and founder of 18Loop, a 501(c)(3) GuideStar Platinum nonprofit that utilizes virtual reality to assist pediatric oncology patients and help them to tolerate treatment, recover, and thrive. 18Loop has received recognition as a Fast Company Honorable Mention World Changing Idea 2021 and an Innovate NJ 2023 honoree. Greg’s focus lies in public service, particularly where technology can be harnessed for the greater good. Before founding 18Loop, Greg spent nearly 20 years in technology sales, working on network infrastructure, business intelligence, cloud, and IT consulting projects. His clients included organizations such as ABN Amro, Bloomberg, Bristol Myers Squibb, CBS, Ernst and Young, Goldman Sachs, and the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). Following his private sector technology sales role, Greg joined AmeriCorps, where he volunteered for a year, helping Opportunity Youth in Newark, NJ, prepare for college and careers through the ServiceWorks program. 18Loop represents the culmination of Greg’s knowledge from the technology sector and his commitment to community service. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree (BA) from Seton Hall University and certificates from MIT (artificial intelligence) and Oxford (Blockchain). Currently, he is pursuing a dual degree MBA/MS program in Healthcare Leadership at Cornell. Greg is a member of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and resides in Rutherford, New Jersey. He has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who in America 2024.

Brandon M. Welch, MS, PhD, is an NIH‐funded researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur dedicated to creating the future of healthcare through user‐friendly health technology. Dr. Welch is the founder and CEO of doxy.me, a leading telemedicine software company used by over a million providers in 176 countries. Notably, doxy.me emerged as a leading telehealth solution during the pandemic, facilitating 8 billion+ minutes of care. Dr. Welch holds a MS degree in Human Genetics from Tulane University and a PhD in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Utah. Additionally, he is an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he has authored multiple peer‐reviewed articles. Dr. Welch enjoys spending time with his family in Charleston, South Carolina.

Christine Wheeler‐Case Jones, is a licensed professional counselor within the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has had several years of experience in working with children, adolescents, and their families. Christine received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Randolph‐Macon College, located in Ashland, Virginia. She obtained her master’s degree in professional counseling from Argosy University, located in Arlington, Virginia. Christine is a Registered Play Therapist™ specializing in child‐centered play therapy working with children two years old and up. She began her work in an elementary school setting and applied many of the therapeutic powers of play. Christine has always been found in using play and other expressive therapies as a means to meet the child where he or she is. As this passion for play therapy continued to develop, Christine would use her skills specifically when working with children and their families within the home setting. As an intensive in‐home therapist in Richmond, Virginia, Christine would often incorporate play when working with both the child and the family. This passion toward play therapy and working with children continued to benefit as she later was the recipient for the annual award within the Child and Family Services division of Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. Currently, Christine is a therapist at the Gil Institute in Fairfax, Virginia. Christine is an active member of Mental Health Virtual Reality (MHVR). She is a member of the Association for Play Therapy, Virginia Association for Play Therapy. She is a regular contributor to the Maryland/DC Association for Play Therapy quarterly newsletter.

Hattie Wilczewski, is a doctoral student in Industrial‐Organizational Psychology at the University of South Florida. Her research interests include occupational health, flexible working arrangements, and research methods. She previously graduated from Saint Michael’s College with her BS in both Psychology and Statistics and worked as a senior research assistant at doxy.me studying telemedicine trends, virtual reality, and the use of chatbots for health data collection.

Olya Zaporozhets, received her first degree in Psychology from a Ukrainian University (Melitopol, Ukraine) and has been teaching psychology in Ukraine since 2005. She has a master’s degree in Practical Ministries, Counseling, and Government, as well as a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervisor. Dr. Zaporozhets is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed chemical dependency counselor in Virginia and Ohio and has worked as a professional counselor with multiple populations and client problems with an emphasis in trauma work. She currently works as a full professor in the Mental Health Counseling Department at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is also the founder of the International Institute of Postgraduate Education in Kyiv, Ukraine, focused on educating Ukrainian psychologists in trauma therapy. She directs Ukraine Cross‐Cultural Supervision Project at Regent University and serves as the director of International Mental Health Consultants, Inc. She continues to work diligently to educate and train professional counselors and supervisors throughout the United States and Ukraine.

About the Companion Website

This book is accompanied by a companion website.

www.wiley.com/go/MHVRImmersiveWorlds 

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Interesting Articles and Links

Section IFundamentals

CHAPTER ONEMHVR Introduction and History

JESSICA STONE

MHVR: The Power of Immersive Worlds is an exploration into the integration of virtual reality (VR) within the spectrum of mental health offerings. This book is not merely a collection of research and examples; it is a journey through the evolution of VR, tracing its origins from visionary fiction to a substantial, transformative tool in mental health therapy. As we embark on this journey, this introductory chapter aims to provide a historical backdrop, tracing the lineage of VR from its conceptualization to its current stature, and outline the enriching journey you are about to undertake.

THE DAWN OF VIRTUAL REALITY: VIRTUAL REALITY AND SPATIAL COMPUTING

Traditionally, virtual reality (VR) is the term used to encompass a diverse array of immersive, adaptable, and digital resources and experiences, and is nestled under the extended reality (XR) umbrella (Stone, 2022, 2023; Weinstein, 2022). Current headsets, namely the Apple Vision Pro (Apple, 2024), have disrupted the field in numerous ways, including the preference for the term spatial computing over virtual reality, specifically to encompass the virtual and mixed reality features of the device (Ball, 2024; Bar‐Zeev, 2023; Hackl, 2023). The term spatial computing was used as early as 1992 by the Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab at the University of Washington (Ball, 2024; HITLab, n.d.). Per Hackl, “Spatial computing is already starting to make an impact, including on communication and co‐presence, manufacturing, gaming, human resources, media, sports and entertainment, and data visualization” (para 1). Other head‐mounted displays (HMDs) (the term given to this type of hardware worn on the head) offer both virtual and mixed reality experiences, and the industry is currently reevaluating (and debating) accuracy.

For the purpose of this book we will use the term VR throughout as it is most common at this time, with the understanding that the landscape is constantly changing.

We recognize that accuracy in terminology has great importance.

VR encompasses engaging, multisensory experiences that may feature a complete 360° panorama of either real‐world video, computer‐generated imagery, or a blend of the two (Irvine, 2017). This technology represents a fusion of computing technology and physical hardware designed to “remove the conventional barrier between the user and the device, facilitating a more immediate and instinctive engagement with data” (Bricken & Byrne, 1993, p. 200). Additionally, VR incorporates sensors that monitor movements of the face, body, head, and hands, mirroring the user's natural motions in the virtual environment, allowing for a profound sense of immersion and congruency (Maples‐Keller et al., 2017; Stone, 2021).

These characteristics – immersion, embodiment, and adaptability – are particularly crucial in the realm of offerings within mental health treatment. Historically, the field of mental health has faced conceptual, understanding, and treatment limitations. Traditional therapeutic prompts like “imagine if” or “tell me about” come with inherent translational constraints. While XR is not without its own limitations, it significantly broadens the scope of possibilities by allowing individuals to engage fully in environments that are tailored to their needs, with boundaries largely determined by technological progress and availability, rather than the subjective interpretations and predispositions of two individuals in a therapeutic setting.

In conventional therapy, guiding a client to “try to imagine” or to mentally “paint a picture” does facilitate the exploration of various themes, strategies, emotional release, and more (Nanay, 2021; Stone, 2022). The client can conceive a scenario mentally. Yet, articulating this imagined scenario requires translating mental imagery into verbal communication, sharing the narrative, and hoping the portrayal accurately reflects the original vision. The therapist, in turn, must interpret the verbal description back into mental imagery, aiming to both understand the scenario and integrate it into the therapeutic dialogue. This exchange is complex and ripe with potential for misunderstanding. Sometimes, clients may opt to draw or craft their visualizations, which aids in reducing misinterpretations. However, limitations such as drawing skills, the range of available art materials, and the fidelity of the representation to the mental image can pose challenges. While exact replication may not always be critical for some therapeutic contexts, precision in depiction can be significantly impactful. In a customizable, immersive environment, the visualizations that are requested can be “constructed, accessed, shared, experienced, and interactively participated in, allowing both client and therapist to visually and emotionally engage” (Stone, 2022, p. 127). This approach is just one of many possibilities.

HISTORY

The Journey

The history of VR begins in the imaginative corridors of science fiction, with Stanley G. Weinbaum's groundbreaking short story, “Pygmalion's Spectacles,” setting a visionary precedent. Penned in 1935, Weinbaum's narrative introduced the world to the concept of a pair of goggles that let the wearer experience “a fictional world through holographics, smell, taste, and touch” (p. 5). This story was not just about seeing a different reality; the goggles were a gateway to a multisensory experience, engaging sight, sound, touch, and even smell and taste. This visionary idea laid the conceptual groundwork for what we today recognize as virtual reality. Weinbaum, through his literary genius, proposed a world where the boundaries between the real and the artificial blur, a world where experiences could be crafted and savored, transcending the limitations of physical reality. “Pygmalion's Spectacles” serves as a classic instance of how science fiction has often foreseen technological progress.

Morton Heilig, who invented the Sensorama in 1957, is often referred to as the “father of virtual reality” (Mandal, 2013). Heilig's Sensorama, developed in the 1950s, was an arcade‐style theater cabinet that provided a fully immersive cinematic experience, engaging multiple senses (Norman, 2019). The user experienced a prerecorded film in color and stereo, which was augmented by sound, scent, wind, and vibration experiences. It was Heilig's vision that first demonstrated how multisensory input could be synchronized with visual content to create an immersive experience, setting a precedent for the multisensory VR experiences we see today. It is important to note that the Sensorama was immersive but not interactive (Mandal, 2013).

This seed of imagination sown by Weinbaum and set into motion by Heilig, propelled forward in the 1960s with Ivan Sutherland, a visionary in his own right (Sack, 2018). Often revered as the “father of computer graphics,” Sutherland's Ultimate Display was a watershed moment in the history of immersive technologies (Mandal, 2013). This device, albeit rudimentary and cumbersome by today's standards, was the first HMD system, providing users with a primitive, yet groundbreaking, immersive experience. It wasn't merely a window to a new world; it was a departure from traditional computing, a leap into the realm of interactive, spatial, and immersive computing. The Ultimate Display, with its apt name signifying both the marvel and the burden of pioneering technology, was a testament to human ingenuity and curiosity, laying down the technical foundation upon which the VR of today is built.

Another significant contributor to the history of VR is Thomas A. Furness III, known as the “grandfather of virtual reality” (Mertz, 2019). Furness's work in the 1960s and 1970s on flight simulators for the US Air Force laid the groundwork for the development of VR technology. His pioneering research in HIT has been instrumental in shaping the evolution of virtual environments (HITLab, n.d.; Mandal, 2013). Differing from Sutherland, Furness told podcaster Kent Bye that “he [Furness] has always been much more focused on solving real problems with VR” (2015, para 3). Bye explains that Furness recognized the need for pilots to understand increasingly complex fighter jet technology, “… so Tom turned to creating augmented reality systems to display more information to the pilots in a virtual environment. This resulted in the first ‘Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator’ system that he helped develop in 1971” (para 3).

With the development activity progressing, a name was needed to reference this unique type of technology. During the 1980s, Jarod Lanier popularized the term virtual reality with inspirational credit given to the work of Susan K. Langer (Langer, 1955; Virtual Reality Society, 2017) and multiple science fiction publications such as The Veldt (Bradbury, 1982), The Judas Mandala (Broderick, 1982), and The Neuromancer (Gibson, 1984). Lanier's efforts to coin a term for this burgeoning field underscored the importance of establishing a shared language for discussing the vast potentials of immersive digital environments.

Lanier established VPL Research, pioneering the creation and sale of VR technologies. His contributions were pivotal in introducing VR to a broader audience, but his influence extended far beyond technological innovation. He explored the deeper ramifications of VR on the ways we connect, communicate, and understand reality. Viewing VR as an amplification of human expression and empathy, Lanier set the foundation for the technology's reach into various sectors, especially mental health, emphasizing VR's capacity to enhance human‐centric experiences.

The contributions of Char Davies to the field of VR are also noteworthy. Davies, an artist and researcher, is renowned for her immersive virtual environments that explore the intersection of art, technology, and consciousness (Rafferty, 2017). She created 3D virtual scenes in the early 1990s, but they appeared two‐dimensional when exhibited. She then created an “immersive, interactive virtual environment”; this became “Osmose” (1995) and its companion piece “Ephémère” (1998)” (para 3). Her work, which often emphasizes the philosophical and ecological implications of VR, invites users to engage in a deeply introspective and contemplative experience, expanding the application of VR beyond mere entertainment. Davies states, “I wanted to prove that this new spatiotemporal medium was capable of enabling experiences that could reaffirm our embodied being in the world, rather than distracting and distancing us from it” (para 4).