Virtual reality that gives real pain relief

Virtual-reality therapy shows enormous promise for reducing pain as well as potent drugs do. When patients at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles watched uplifting videos through virtual-reality goggles, their pain levels dropped by 24 per cent, says Dr Brennan Spiegel, director of the hospital’s health services research.

“This works as well as – or better than – opioids,” says Spiegel, explaining that the therapy essentially overwhelms the brain with positive experiences, distracting it from the pain. Those with the most severe pain got the most relief, he says.

A virtual-reality clinic is in the works, and Spiegel predicts that a new kind of medical professional will soon emerge: a virtual therapist, who will assess patients and prescribe specific virtual-reality experiences, which could range from sitting on a beach to flying over Icelandic fjords. “This is the beginning of a new medical field,” he says.