Self-compassion can contribute to better mental health. Compassion-focused therapy may help those with mental illness self-soothe and better deal with feelings and thoughts in a mindful, balanced way.
The 60 participants in the study received either virtual reality based on self-compassion or virtual reality based on self-compassion PLUS visual biofeedback. The Oculus Quest 2 allowed participants to teleport around a house. Then, via a chosen avatar, they could deliver statements of compassion to a crying teenage girl. Biofeedback was a pulsating red light that represented a heart rate.
After being trained, participants reported lower anxiety, stress, and self-criticism, but the biofeedback did not influence the training. The authors conclude, “These data provide further evidence that VR-administered self-compassion training may deliver potentially important mental health benefits, but also meaningfully extends this literature by proving the first evidence that visual biofeedback does not influence the strength of these benefits.”
Source: Receiving self-compassion in the virtual world: Testing the potential value of biofeedback