Testing the effectiveness of virtual reality as a defusion technique for coping with unwanted thoughts

Abstract

Negative thoughts are experienced by as many as 80–99% of the population. These thoughts are associated with a variety of negative consequences, including negative mood, decreased task performance and the development of psychopathology. One technique employed in contextual behavioral therapies to help cope with negative thoughts is cognitive defusion. Cognitive defusion techniques undermine potential negative effects of thinking by teaching clients to get some distance from their thoughts. Virtual reality (VR) is the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that users can interact in. VR is of increasing interest to applied psychologists due to its potential for exposure learning. One area where VR may be effective is helping people to cope with negative thoughts. The current study examined the impact of a VR task as a cognitive defusion technique on participants’ relationship with a negative self-referential thought (e.g., “I am a failure”). Thirty participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (i.e., defusion VR and control VR). Participants were tested pre- and post-VR task on a state measure of cognitive defusion and ratings of their self-referential negative thought. The results indicated that a defusion VR task facilitates the management of negative thoughts and leads to an increase in state defusion. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the use of VR techniques in dealing with negative thoughts.