According to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders [1]. Nearly 1 in 7 people in the world live with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common [2]. Beyond these findings lies a growing demand for practical, accessible solutions that can support well-being in everyday life. In this context, virtual reality (VR) offers an innovative approach to relaxation and stress relief. But why combine virtual reality with well-being? Let’s find out.
How does an immersive relaxation headset work?
A sensory escape from everyday life
Our psychological well-being is constantly influenced by the pressures of daily life, whether they are related to work, finances or personal responsibilities. Even when we genuinely want to relax, traditional techniques do not always succeed in helping us switch off completely.
“What are we going to have for dinner tonight?”, “Why did I respond like that during the meeting?”, “I forgot to reply to that email”.
Although the benefits of meditation and mindfulness are now well established, many people still find these practices difficult to engage with. Therapeutic virtual reality offers a different approach. Rather than leaving you alone with your thoughts, it gently guides you through an immersive experience designed to promote relaxation. There is nothing you need to analyse or control, simply allow yourself to be absorbed in the experience.
To achieve this, Healthy Mind immersions combine several evidence-based techniques, including:
- highly realistic, premium-quality 3D environments;
- hypnotic narratives developed by professionals and tailored to each virtual setting;
- carefully designed soundscapes inspired by the principles of music therapy;
- guided breathing exercises that help regulate stress and emotions.
Throughout each immersive session, lasting anywhere from 5 to 160 minutes, your attention naturally shifts away from everyday concerns and towards the experience unfolding around you.
A mental break that helps release tension
Sometimes the working day ends, but your mind keeps racing. You replay a meeting, mentally prepare tomorrow’s to-do list, or continue worrying about unresolved issues. While your body may be resting, your brain remains on high alert.
This phenomenon is closely linked to the body’s stress response. Whenever we perceive a situation as demanding or threatening, our nervous system activates a series of protective mechanisms. When these remain active for prolonged periods, they can contribute to mental fatigue, reduced concentration, irritability and sleep disturbances.
Virtual reality creates a genuine pause within this constant stream of stimulation. By capturing your attention and reducing external distractions, it encourages mental relaxation and helps your body gradually move away from this state of hypervigilance.
An interactive environment that keeps you engaged
Unlike simply watching a video or listening to an audio relaxation programme, therapeutic VR actively engages your cognitive resources. You are encouraged to observe your surroundings, follow guided instructions and sometimes interact with elements of the virtual environment. Instead of dwelling on anxious thoughts or repetitive mental patterns, your attention is fully directed towards the present experience.
This level of engagement helps reduce distractions and increases adherence to the exercise. For people who struggle with conventional meditation or relaxation techniques, virtual reality often provides a more intuitive and accessible alternative.
What are the benefits of a virtual reality for well-being?
A proven way to reduce pain and anxiety
Today, virtual reality is increasingly being adopted across healthcare settings because of its non-pharmacological anxiolytic and analgesic effects. But why is it so effective? A large part of its success lies in its ability to redirect attention.
Before a medical procedure, examination or treatment, anxiety often becomes overwhelming. The longer we wait, the more our thoughts focus on what is about to happen. Pain behaves in a similar way: when it dominates our attention, it often feels more intense.
Virtual reality takes advantage of this psychological mechanism. By fully immersing you in a calming environment, it naturally diverts your attention away from unpleasant sensations and anxious thoughts. As the brain allocates part of its cognitive resources to processing the immersive experience, fewer resources remain available for pain or stress.
Several scientific studies support these findings:
- in emergency care, one study reported a 33% reduction in pain and a 50% reduction in anxiety [3];
- in palliative care, another study observed a 70% reduction in both pain and anxiety [4];
- some studies also suggest that immersive VR may help reduce the need for analgesic medication [5][6].
Supporting better mental health
Looking after your mental health means regularly creating opportunities to slow down, recover and regain clarity when everyday life becomes overwhelming.
Virtual reality for mental health provides a safe and supportive space where it becomes easier to pause, step back from daily pressures and experience a greater sense of calm. It promotes mental recovery, supports anxiety management and encourages emotional regulation.
Although it should never replace medical or psychological care when this is needed, therapeutic VR can serve as a valuable complementary tool by creating regular moments of respite in an increasingly demanding world.
A more accessible way to experience mindfulness
Meditative practices such as mindfulness involve intentionally focusing your attention on the present moment without judgement or unnecessary distraction.
While the benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised, many people find it challenging to quieten their thoughts. The mind naturally wanders back to everyday concerns, making it difficult to remain present.
Thanks to its immersive nature, virtual reality makes sustained attention easier. Calming landscapes, guided exercises and carefully designed soundscapes help anchor your awareness in the present moment, allowing you to experience many of the benefits associated with mindfulness more naturally.
When can a virtual reality headset be used to support well-being?
1. In healthcare settings
A virtual reality well-being headset can support patients at different stages of their care journey:
- before a procedure, to help reduce apprehension and anxiety;
- during certain medical interventions, to divert attention away from pain;
- after hospitalisation, to promote both physical and emotional recovery.
The Healthy Mind solution is currently used in more than 300 healthcare facilities, across over 30 different medical specialties, both in France and internationally.
Thanks to its rapid deployment, offline functionality and ease of use, healthcare professionals can seamlessly integrate the solution into their daily practice, regardless of the clinical setting.
🚀 Discover our virtual reality solution for healthcare providers.
2. In the workplace
Heavy workloads, constant interruptions and the challenge of disconnecting mean that employees rarely enjoy genuine opportunities to recover during the working day.
Introducing virtual reality as part of a workplace well-being strategy enables organisations to offer truly restorative breaks. In just a few minutes, employees can step away from their desks and immerse themselves in a calming virtual environment.
Beyond individual well-being, these recovery sessions can improve concentration, reduce mental fatigue and help prevent psychosocial risks in the workplace.
Easy to implement, the Healthy Mind solution can be used in break areas, relaxation rooms or employee well-being programmes, as demonstrated by the experience of the coaching consultancy Agissons Ensemble.
🚀 Discover our virtual reality solution for organisations.
3. At home
Family responsibilities, mental load and personal concerns often make it difficult to truly switch off.
In just a few minutes, a home virtual reality headset offers an opportunity to focus on yourself, away from notifications, screens and constant demands.
Accessible without any prior experience, this approach makes it easy to incorporate moments of well-being into your daily routine, whether you want to start your day feeling calmer, take a restorative break between activities or prepare for a better night’s sleep.
🚀 Discover our virtual reality solution for individuals.
Are there any side effects of virtual reality?
The best-known side effect associated with virtual reality is cybersickness. Similar to motion sickness, it may cause nausea, dizziness, visual fatigue or a temporary feeling of disorientation.
These symptoms are generally mild and usually disappear shortly after the session ends. Their occurrence depends on several factors, including individual sensitivity, the quality of the hardware and the design of the virtual environment.
To minimise this risk, we have worked closely with our scientific advisory board to develop immersive experiences specifically designed to avoid cyberkinetosis. After all, our mission has always been to relieve anxiety and pain, not create new sources of discomfort.
Our therapeutic scenarios are carefully designed to minimise conflicts between visual and vestibular sensory information, helping to ensure a comfortable and reassuring immersive experience.
Healthy Mind: a virtual reality headset designed to reduce anxiety
The Healthy Mind solution has been developed as a comprehensive tool to support psychological well-being, providing access to a rich library of immersive experiences tailored to different needs, including:
- 9 therapeutic 3D journeys;
- 37 entertainment experiences;
- “My shelter” personalised relaxation experiences, offering more than 6,000 possible combinations.
Originally designed for healthcare environments, our virtual reality software is now used in hospitals, private clinics, care homes, workplaces and private homes.
With ready-to-use equipment that can be deployed in just two minutes, offline functionality and an intuitive interface, the solution is quick and easy to use for both professionals and individuals alike.
Because therapeutic virtual reality fully engages attention while encouraging mental escape, it opens up new possibilities for supporting mental well-being. Through immersive experiences specifically designed for relaxation and anxiety reduction, the Healthy Mind headset makes well-being more accessible in everyday life. Would you like to find out more? Please feel free to request a demonstration.
References :
[1] World Health Organization, Over a billion people living with mental health conditions – services require urgent scale-up, 2 September 2025.
[2] 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) [online database]. Seattle: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; 2024.
[3] Birrenbach T, Bühlmann F, Exadaktylos AK, Hautz WE, Müller M, Sauter TC. Virtual Reality for Pain Relief in the Emergency Room (VIPER) – a prospective, interventional feasibility study. BMC Emerg Med. 2022 Jun 21;22(1):113. doi: 10.1186/s12873-022-00671-z. PMID: 35729502; PMCID: PMC9210626.
[4] Erwan G. & Yves C. The contribution of therapeutic virtual reality to pain and anxiety management in palliative care day care, Maison Pallia-vie, 2020.
[5] C. Brown, et al. Virtual reality – a new addition to the anxiolytic array for cardiac device implantation – N=17, The Allan Lab Immersive, 2022.
[6] R. Assaker, et al. Effectiveness of virtual reality in reducing anxiety and pain during paediatric idiopathic scoliosis surgery – N=43, SFAR, 2021.