Virtual Reality and Sex Therapy: Future Directions for Clinical Research

Abstract

Rapidly growing new technologies are revolutionizing the field of mental health, in terms of both understanding and treating mental disorders. Among these, virtual reality (VR) is a powerful tool providing clients with new learning experiences benefiting their psychological well-being. This article offers an overview of the current literature on VR in psychotherapy, highlighting its relevance to sexual dysfunction (SD) treatment.

A literature review of PubMed and Google Scholar databases was used to provide a description of the theoretical frameworks and clinical indications associated with VR use in psychotherapy and SD treatment. The effectiveness of VR exposure-based therapy has been empirically validated for several mental disorders, notably anxiety disorders. The emerging combined use of VR and mindfulness tends to focus on chronic pain treatment. Experimental research examining the use of immersive technologies in the treatment of SDs is lacking.

Given the shortcomings of conventional SD treatments, exploring and developing specialized VR interventions may prove beneficial. VR offers promising avenues in sex therapy, particularly for the treatment of genital pain disorders or SDs in which anxiety plays a significant etiological role.

Disclosure statement

We report no conflict of interest, financial interest, or benefits related to the application of this research.