MIXED REALITIES

OBJECTIVE

To explore the utility of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and other extended realities (XR) in Clinical and Health Psychology. To explore the psychological variables that influence the experience in mixed realities.

SINCE

1994

RELEVANT MILESTONES AND APPLICATIONS

This is the most long-lived line of our laboratory. We began the study of the application of ICTs in mental health by exploring the use of Virtual Reality (VR) for the application of exposure therapy in phobias in the 90s of the twentieth century. We then moved on to more complex problems such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder or adjustment disorders. Another problem for which we have developed virtual scenarios is the treatment of body image distortions in eating disorders. Finally, we have also designed a VR scenario for the application of the rest-activity balancing component in the psychological treatment of chronic pain.

In addition to VR, we have developed a system for the application of AR in exposure therapy.

Our extensive experience in XR leads us to participate in different projects exploring the influence of psychological variables on the user experience in XR.

PUBLICATIONS, AWARDS AND OTHER RELEVANT ASPECTS TO BE HIGHLIGHTED

Projects:

Horizon Europe SHARESPACE and CORTEX2, exploring the influence of psychological variables on XR developments in different applications (VR and AR videoconferencing, VR and AR training and coaching, use of XR for collaborative environments in healthcare, physical rehabilitation in chronic pain, etc.). . www.sharespace.eu  www.cortex2.eu

Publications:

  1. García-Palacios, A., Hoffman, H. G., Carlin, A., Furness, T., Botella, C. (2002). Virtual Reality in the treatment of spider phobia: A controlled study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 9, 983 – 993. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(01)00068-7
  2. Garcia-Palacios, A., Botella, C., Hoffman, H., Fabregat, S. (2007). Comparing Acceptance and Refusal Rates of Virtual Reality Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure by Patients with Specific Phobias. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 5, 722 – 724. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.9962
  3. Opris, D., Pintea, S., García-Palacios, A., Botella, C., Szamosközi, S., David, D. (2012). Virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders: A quantitative meta-analysis. Depression and Anxiety, 2, 85-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.20910.
  4. Garcia-Palacios, A., Herrero, R., Vizcaíno, Y., Belmonte, M. A., Castilla, D., Molinari, G., Baños, R. M., Botella, C. (2015). Integrating Virtual Reality with Activity Management for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Acceptability and Preliminary Efficacy. Clinical Journal of Pain, 6, 564 – 572. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0000000000000196
  5. Botella, C., Perez-Ara, M. A., Breton-Lopez, J., Quero, S., García-Palacios, A. & Baños, R. (2016). In Vivo versus augmented reality exposure in the treatment of small animal phobia: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE, 11(2): e0148237. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148237
  6. Navarro-Haro, M. V., Hoffman, H. G., Garcia-Palacios, A., Sampaio, M., Alhalabi, W., Hall, K., Linehan, M. (2016). The use of virtual reality to facilitate mindfulness skills training in dialectical behavioral therapy for borderline personality disorder: A case study. Frontiers in Psychology. 7 – 1573. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01573.
  7. Fernandez Alvarez, J, Rozenthal, A., Carlbring, P., Colombo, D., Garcia-Palacios, A., Botella, C. (2018). Deterioration rates in virtual reality therapy: An individual patient data level meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 61, 3 – 17. DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.06.005
  8. Colombo, D., Díaz-García, A., Fernández-Álvarez, J., Botella, C. (2021). Virtual reality for the enhancement of emotion regulation. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 28, 519-537. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2618
  9. Hoffman, H. G., Fontenot, M. R., Garcia-Palacios, A., Flor, H. (2023). Adding tactile feedback increases avatar ownership and makes virtual reality more effective at reducing pain in a randomized crossover study. Scientific Reports, 13, 7915. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31038-4