VIRTUE Bern - Virtual Reality Intervention for Transdiagnostic Use of Defusion Exercises

Virtual reality (VR) offers new possibilities in mental health care. The VIRTUE-Bern project uses VR to help adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 25 manage distressing thoughts and feelings more effectively. The focus is on a method called cognitive defusion, which helps individuals recognize distressing thoughts as just thoughts – not automatically as truths. This can reduce psychological pressure and lessen emotional burden. In five sessions, participants learn to observe or actively change distressing thoughts through VR or a regular screen. In the VR environment, thoughts appear as clouds that can be rotated, enlarged, or released. This makes a difficult inner process tangible and experiential – particularly helpful for younger people. We compare two things: (1) VR with conventional screen representation and (2) actively changing thoughts with passive observation. Over several months, we also assess whether the learned strategies are effective in daily life – using brief mobile surveys (EMA). Additionally, we consider age, gender, psychological burden, daily functioning, and cognitive flexibility. Adolescents with personal experiences actively contribute to the development of the intervention. VIRTUE-Bern fills an important gap: adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues, yet most therapies are designed for adults. Our goal is a modern, flexible, and effective early intervention that can be applied to many psychological difficulties. With the help of new technologies, early assistance could be provided, preventing later disease progression.