Immersive virtual reality (VR) nature scenes have been shown to ease symptoms associated with long-term pain, with the strongest benefits observed in those who felt more present in the virtual environment.
A study led by the University of Exeter compared the effects of immersive 360-degree nature films delivered in VR with two-dimensional video. The findings indicated that VR was nearly twice as effective in reducing the experience of pain.
Chronic pain, which typically lasts more than three months, is notoriously difficult to treat. The researchers simulated this type of pain in healthy volunteers, showing that VR nature scenes had an effect comparable to painkillers. The relief continued for at least five minutes after the VR experience had ended.
Dr Sam Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Pain Neuroscience at the University of Exeter, led the study. He said: “We’ve seen a growing body of evidence show that exposure to nature can help reduce short term, everyday pain, but there has been less research into how this might work for people living with chronic or longer-term pain. Also, not everyone is able to get out for walks in nature, particularly those living with long term health conditions like chronic pain. Our study is the first to look at the effect of prolonged exposure to a virtual reality nature scene on symptoms seen during long term pain sensitivity. Our results suggest that immersive nature experiences can reduce the development of this pain sensitivity through an enhanced sense of presence and through harnessing the brains in-built pain suppression systems.’’
The study, funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, involved 29 healthy participants. Pain was applied to the forearm using electric shocks, after which they viewed two different types of nature scene. During the first visit, researchers measured pain changes over a 50-minute period. Without any nature scenes, participants developed a sensitivity to sharp pricking stimuli, mirroring the nerve pain experienced by people with chronic conditions. This type of pain arises from altered processing of pain signals in the brain and spinal cord.
On the second visit, participants were immersed in a 45-minute 360-degree VR experience of Oregon waterfalls, chosen to maximise therapeutic impact. On another occasion, they explored the same scene on a two-dimensional screen. In each case, participants completed questionnaires about their pain, their sense of presence, and the restorative qualities of the scenes.
A further visit involved MRI brain scans at the University of Exeter’s Mireille Gillings Neuroimaging Centre. Researchers applied a cold gel to induce ongoing pain and studied participants’ brain responses during the scan.
The results showed that immersive VR significantly reduced the development and spread of pain sensitivity to pricking stimuli. These pain-relieving effects remained at the end of the 45-minute session. The stronger the sense of presence reported, the greater the reduction in pain.
Brain scans also revealed that participants with stronger connectivity in regions responsible for modulating pain experienced less discomfort. This suggests VR nature scenes may alter how pain signals are transmitted in the brain and spinal cord in chronic pain conditions.
Dr Sonia Medina of the University of Exeter Medical School and Translational Research Fellow with NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre, and co-author of the study, said: “We think VR has a particularly strong effect on reducing experience of pain because it’s so immersive. It really created that feeling of being present in nature – and we found the pain-reducing effect was greatest in people for whom that perception was strongest. We hope our study leads to more research to investigate further how exposure to nature effects our pain responses, so we could one day see nature scenes incorporated into ways of reducing pain for people in settings like care homes or hospitals.”
