Our article is on how VR is helping people with mental health problems through the use of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET). In a well-engineered spaceship, it takes seven months to get to Mars. During this journey, astronauts have no access to nature or socialization. This type of isolation could be detrimental to the astronaut’s health and productivity. Regular people face a lot of the same challenges that long-duration space travellers face, including isolation and loneliness.
Thankfully we now have virtual reality. Since Covid-19 has had most of the world on lockdown or at least has led to people being advised to stay home, there are many people not able to socialize or enjoy nature lately, which can lead to loneliness and depression rates going up.
Loneliness and isolation can lead to a plethora of negative consequences for our cognitive health and our, well-being and physical health. Feeling connected to others is important to living a healthy and happy life. Many are turning to virtual reality for socialization and entertainment.
Simulated Isolation
Space agencies conduct many different simulations and studies to help mitigate risks involved with long-duration space travel, including isolation. SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station) is a series of experiments that simulate long term space flight and isolation on land.It has been found to be cheaper and safer to perform these experiments on land in order to assess the effects that long term space flight will have on space crews. This also allows for solutions to these issues to be tested for effectiveness to make sure the mental and physical health of the crew will be supported.
SIRIUS-21 is an isolation study done in Moscow that lasted 8 months and began on November 4, 2021. A crew of 6 multinational people will go into a facility known as NEK that models a spacecraft that was built in the 1960s. They will stay there for 240 days and partake in 70 experiments that have been prepared for them by international research teams.
Self-Transcendence
Self-transcendence is “a cluster of phenomena and associated emotional states characterized by an increased sense of interconnectedness with the world”. Self-transcendent experiences can include being impressed by the vastness of a landscape, standing on a mountaintop, or staring at a starry sky and seeing something bigger than oneself. Awe is the name for the emotion that goes hand in hand with self-transcendence. It supports our physical health and well-being, making us more compassionate and even pro-social.Awe can be experienced through many things, including spiritual practices, culture, and nature. Travelling can also induce awe, such as going to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. These recent lockdowns and forced isolation limit us to experiences that bring about awe.
Studies are being done to see if virtual reality could be a potential temporary solution to the effects of isolation and loneliness. Spacelab has produced a narrated half-hour long experience called “Earthgazing VR experience”, where those participating are immersed in a scene of nature.
Through this program, they can experience many things, including watching the sunset over a canyon while in the company of some wild animals, cloud gazing, witnessing aurora in the sky at night, or seeing Mars fly through space across a solar eclipse. Participants also reflect on the way that all life on Earth is interconnected as they orbit around Earth.
This amazing program was inspired by the “Overview Effect, " a profound experience that astronauts enjoy as they witness the Earth from outer space in all of its fragile beauty. The SIRIUS-21 crew is going to be partaking in this incredible experience and will be reporting back on how it helps support their stress levels, feeling of connection, emotional state, and the effects on their psychological and physical health.