BerlinMindfulness VR – A Space for Wellbeing

Virtual Reality could be the first medium to become aware of our emotional selves. When people think of VR they may think of isolation, however VR can be a space for connection, connection to our emotional selves. How can we make use of Virtual Reality environments to improve our wellbeing and become purposeful spaces that serve our health?

In this talk VR artist Órla Casey will discuss her research on the topic of Wellbeing and Virtual Reality and how these environments can be developed as ‘Time Out’ stress relief spaces and improve our sense of wellbeing. Her project “Finding Space” is a biofeedback mindfulness inspired virtual reality experience, an environment created to facilitate awareness and conscious breathing. This experience was developed as a response to the rise in depression and mental health issues which are making a devastating impact on our health, our relationships, and the environments we live in. Rather than creating experiences to escape these issues, why not create experiences that can address it and empower ourselves to combat these difficulties?

Virtual Reality therapy has been developing since the 1980s to successfully treat PTSD however access to this technology has been quite limited until now. Technology is a tool; how we choose to design and use it will influence how we live our lives.

Following the talk, the virtual reality experience, “ Finding Space“ will be set up to try out. The event is kindly sponsored by GROVER who will provide all the VR equipment for this experience. Grover are a Berlin Start-up who make innovative tech affordable to everyone. They support up and coming creators and ran the Future Arcade at Tech Open Air this year. For more information about Grover see here Grover