A preliminary study on the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality system to enhance Tonglen compassion practice

Compassion-based interventions have been shown to improve numerous mental health outcomes. However, they are time- and effort-intensive, and entail a high dropout rate. Virtual Reality (VR) could be a useful tool to enhance compassion practice by immersing users in a VR environment, thus facilitating the construction and sustainment of mental images necessary for the practice. The objective of this preliminary study is to describe the VR system and assess its capacity to successfully guide a complex compassion practice: Tonglen meditation (TM). 30 participants practiced TM for 15 minutes in a VR environment (Tonglen-VR). Assessment took place before and after TM evaluating self-reported, compassion, criticism, and affect. Moreover, heart rate variability was collected during the whole session as an objective indicator of compassion state. Results showed significantly higher levels of compassion and positive affect, coupled with a decrease in criticism and negative affect. Physiological markers showed a significant increase in heart-rate variability compared to baseline, indicating higher parasympathetic nervous system activation. Moreover, participants showed high engagement and level of compassion practice quality. This study provides preliminary evidence regarding the effectiveness of a Tonglen-VR system as a promising tool in improving practice of compassion.