Realising the capacity for VR
Virtual Reality could be the first medium to become aware of our emotional selves. When people think of VR they may think of isolation, however VR can be a space for connection, connection to our emotional selves.How can we make use of Virtual Reality environments to improve our well-being and become purposeful spaces that serve our health? Virtual Reality therapy has been developing since the 1980s to successfully treat PTSD however access to this technology has been quite limited until now. Technology is a tool; how we choose to design and use it will influence how we live our lives.
“Finding Space”, is a biofeedback mindfulness inspired virtual reality experience, an environment created to facilitate awareness and conscious breathing. This experience was developed as a response to the rise in depression and mental health issues which are making a devastating impact on our health, our relationships, and the environments we live in. Rather than creating experiences to escape these issues, why not create experiences that can address it and empower ourselves to combat these difficulties?
Over the course of my Master’s research, I focused on implementing well-being experiences in Virtual Reality and how these environments can be developed as ‘Time Out’ stress relief spaces and improve our health. This Project was selected as part of the Future Arcade at Tech Open Air 2018, Europe’s largest interdisciplinary festival in Berlin. I have given public talks at The Factory Berlin and BIMM university on the use of VR as a tool and medium to serve our well-being and help address the issue of mental health.
WHY VR?
VIRTUAL REALITY DOES NOT NEED TO BE AN ESCAPIST PLATFORM. WHY NOT USE VR AS A TOOL TO TACKLE SOME OF TODAY’S ISSUES WITH STRESS MANAGEMENT? WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER ROOM IN OUR HOUSE/APARTMENT TO RELAX IN PHYSICALLY, BUT VIRTUALLY WE COULD BUILD OUR OWN MINDFUL SPACES.
“The portal of healing and creativity, always takes us into the realm of the spirit.”
ANEGELES ARRIEN
