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. An article recently published in Behaviour Research and Therapy looked at visual biofeedback reality and self-compassion training.

The 60 participants in the study received either virtual reality based in self-compassion, or virtual reality based in self-compassion combined with 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 had no influence on the training. The authors conclude that, “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.”