Relax VR is a mobile meditation app that was developed in 2016. Its first startup was in Sydney, Australia by two Australian entrepreneurs Sourabh Jain and Eddie Cranswick. This application is compatible with Google’s Cardboard and Daydream, and all Samsung’s Gear VR headsets. It has since been launched in the Android app stores and iOS.
About Relax VR
The application takes its users virtually into relaxing locations of their choice like beaches or The Great Ocean Road in Australia. It also submerges the users in 360-degrees videos. They have incorporated music that comes in a soothing voice to guide its users.
What this app is meant to achieve is to relax the user by drowning all his anxieties and life stresses to get inward peace and tranquility. It does this through evoking thoughts, reactions, and emotions as experienced in the real world through illusions and simulations.
Anxiety has been known to be the cause of mental health issues. People are so burdened with life troubles that they are literally going crazy. The good news is that you can learn to manage your anxiety and stress through virtual reality.
Just imagine yourself having a good time on breathtaking warm beaches, watching the beautiful sky with clouds moving, or just lying on a serene hill, listening to soothing tunes or staring over the sea while meditating.
All these can be enjoyed in the comfort of your home. This is the experience you will get with Relax VR. You can make a selection from 5 magnificent locations:
- Tropical Beach, Philippines
- Forest Creek, Germany
- Wineglass Bay, Australia
- Northern Lights, USA
Up In The Clouds
You can choose from a male or a female voice for the 10 minutes Nidra guided meditation. Yoga Nidra has been found to be a very efficient meditation technique. It works well to help minimize stress by enabling deep relaxation. Due to its efficacy, it has become popular for many meditation professionals. Meditation teachers highly recommend it to their students.
Why The App Is Needed
Virtual reality has been used by therapists as a tool to administer virtual reality exposure therapy to patients in a safe and controlled way. The reason it has not been embraced is due to its high cost and technology limitations.
However, affordable VR headsets are emerging making it possible for more people to afford this service. This way, doctors will be able to apply telemedicine and eventually reach more patients and improve their lives.
The main reason why many companies are afraid of getting into this market is that there is not enough evidence to support that VR can effectively be used as a treatment. These companies will need to do extensive clinical research to change or even influence this treatment concept.
There is no doubt that many VR apps are likely to crop up in the coming years with the intent of solving these mental health problems.
So, how can virtual reality be of use to people?
Treating PTSD Using Virtual Reality
Since the 1990s, virtual reality has been used to deliver prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD. This was mostly for the treatment of soldiers and war veterans who usually have PTSD.
In a recent study, VR therapy has been found to be just as effective as a combination of both drug and VR therapies. As a matter of fact, some drugs were found to bring negative outcomes for the patients. Clinical trials are ongoing to investigate the effectiveness of virtual reality therapy, especially in the military.
Post traumatic stress disorder is not only found in the military. Many people go through this every year. Through VR, a patient will be able to overcome the trauma by being immersed in a virtual reality that stimulates the experiences that caused the trauma in the first place. This way, the patient can overcome the trauma and live a happier life.
Treating Phobias And Anxiety Disorders
Just like in the case of PTSD, VR therapy has been used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders. Surprisingly, anxiety disorder affects over 30 million people in the US, and they end up using billions of dollars annually trying to get treatment. Due to these high numbers, virtual reality therapy could be the solution.
Also, many people suffer from specific phobias. In a recent clinical trial, it was found that VRET was equally effective in treating phobias as real-life exposure therapy. There are several companies that have embraced VR to treat anxiety disorders.
Virtual Reality For Stress Relief And Meditation
It doesn’t matter whether or not you suffer from a mental health condition; most people undergo some level of stress and anxiety in their lives. Meditation has been found to be an effective way for improving one's mood and bringing about relaxation.
Although you cannot solely rely on meditation to overcome your mental health condition, you will experience general overall health benefits from practicing meditation. With Relax VR, they have Yoga Nidra which helps you experience physical, mental, and emotional relaxation, leaving you feeling refreshed and rested.
Benefits Of Relax VR
- Patients with mental health conditions can undergo their treatment from the comfort of their homes.
- It will help people to forgo the expensive services of professional therapists.
- It will eliminate public guilt and shame associated with PTSD as patients will have their treatment from home.
Downsides Of Relax VR
- You are required to pay a one off payment of $0.99 to download this app.
- The app requires a VR headset which could be costly for many people.
- For anyone to use this app, they have to own a smart phone with an operating system that supports it.
Relax VR Conclusion
Virtual reality has been in use for decades of research. However, this industry is still taking baby steps since technology has not been advanced enough to accommodate it. Many companies in this market are focused on coming up with clinical tools that professional therapists use to treat their patients.
The good thing is that this technology might even overtake the traditional methods and be more effective. The purpose of this technology is to provide safe and effective treatment without the presence of a professional therapist.
