Bringing virtual reality from clinical trials to clinical practice for the treatment of eating disorders: An example using virtual reality cue exposure therapy
Open accessAbstract
Novel treatment options for eating disorders (EDs) are critically needed to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce the rates of treatment dropouts. On average, only 50% of individuals receiving evidence-based care remit, whereas 24% drop out before treatment completion. One particularly promising direction involves integrating virtual reality (VR) with existing evidence-based treatments (EBTs) such as cue exposure therapy (CET). Across psychiatric disorders, VR-based interventions are demonstrating at least preliminary efficacy and noninferiority to traditional treatments. Furthermore, VR technology has become increasingly portable, resulting in improved acceptance, increased access, and reductions in cost. However, more efficient research processes may be needed to uncover the potential benefits of these rapid technological advances. This viewpoint paper reviews existing empirical support for integrating VR with EBTs (with a focus on its use with EDs) and proposes key next steps to more rapidly bring this innovative technology-based intervention into real-world clinic settings, as warranted. VR-CET for EDs is used to illustrate a suggested process for developing such treatment enhancements. We recommend following a deployment-focused model of intervention development and testing to enable rapid implementation of robust, practice-ready treatments. In addition, our review highlights the need for a comprehensive clinical protocol that supports clinicians and researchers in the implementation and testing of VR-CET and identifies key missing protocol components with rationale for their inclusion. Ultimately, this work may lead to a more complete understanding of the full potential of the applications and integrations of VR into mental health care globally.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Systematic reviews have observed that some studies combining immersive virtual reality with cognitive behavioral therapy yielded better results.
“Systematic reviews have observed that some studies have combined IVR with other techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), yielding better results [15][16][17].”
From Immersive Virtual Reality in Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Youth with Eating Disorders: A Pilot Study in a Rural Context (2025) · cites this paper as [16]
The Introduction reports that three randomized trials found VR-enhanced CBT more effective than CBT alone on some eating-disorder outcomes. But this source calls itself a viewpoint rather than a systematic review, and its Empirical Support section says reviews of VR cue exposure therapy for eating disorders were not yet warranted. It supports the better-results finding, but not the attribution of that finding to systematic reviews. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredVR technology can alleviate eating-related anxiety caused by exposure to specific cues, such as virtual food, by modifying dysfunctional thoughts, increasing self-efficacy, and disrupting reconsolidation of adverse food-related memories.
“With the aid of VR technology, eating-related anxiety caused by exposure to specific cues, such as virtual food, can be alleviated by modifying dysfunctional thoughts and by doing so, it would increase self-efficacy, disrupting the reconsolidation of adverse food-related memories (Brown et al., 2020).”
From Virtual reality and psychedelics for the treatment of psychiatric disease: A systematic literature review (2020) · cites this paper as Brown et al., 2020
The Advantages of Virtual Reality–Cue Exposure Therapy section says VR can reduce anxiety during and after virtual-food exposure, helping disrupt reconsolidation of adverse food-related memories. It also says emotional changes may occur partly because of modified dysfunctional thinking and increased self-efficacy. It does not establish the claimed sequence in which modifying thoughts increases self-efficacy and thereby disrupts reconsolidation. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
1 retracted
Retracted: Implementations of Virtual Reality for Anxiety-Related Disorders: Systematic Review
Oing, T., & Prescott, J. (2018) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/10965 · Cited by 157 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Finally, the existing reviews illustrate the insufficient state of the current literature, given inconsistent reporting of key variables [43] and the fact that although studies have been conducted in controlled research contexts, research within real-world clinical settings are lacking [45,51].”
BackgroundRetractedThe answer is 17 years, what is the question: understanding time lags in translational research
Morris, Z. S., Wooding, S., & Grant, J. (2011) · Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · doi:10.1258/jrsm.2011.110180 · Cited by 3,340 · see citing works
Maximizing exposure therapy: An inhibitory learning approach
Craske, M. G., Treanor, M., Conway, C. C., Zbozinek, T., & Vervliet, B. (2014) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.04.006 · Cited by 2,339 · cited 1× · see citing works
“In CET, the main objective is to weaken the bond between the cues (conditioned stimuli) and the maladaptive responses (conditioned responses), which may mask or inhibit initial learning [32].”
BackgroundRisks of all-cause and suicide mortality in mental disorders: a meta-review
Chesney, E., Goodwin, G. M., & Fazel, S. (2014) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20128 · Cited by 2,115 · see citing works
Virtual Reality in the Assessment, Understanding, and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders
Freeman, D., Reeve, S., Robinson, A., Ehlers, A., Clark, D., Spanlang, B., & Slater, M. (2017) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s003329171700040x · Cited by 1,428 · see citing works
Parsons, T. D., & Rizzo, A. A. (2008) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2007.07.007 · Cited by 994 · see citing works
Review on cybersickness in applications and visual displays
Rebenitsch, L., & Owen, C. (2016) · Virtual Reality · doi:10.1007/s10055-016-0285-9 · Cited by 971 · see citing works
Carl, E., Stein, A. T., Levihn-Coon, A., Pogue, J. R., Rothbaum, B., Emmelkamp, P., Asmundson, G. J. G., Carlbring, P., & Powers, M. B. (2019) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.08.003 · Cited by 889 · see citing works
Parsons, T. D. (2015) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00660 · Cited by 837 · see citing works
Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: A meta-analytic review
Boswell, R. G., & Kober, H. (2016) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.12354 · Cited by 703 · see citing works
Neuroscience of virtual reality: from virtual exposure to embodied medicine
Riva, G., Wiederhold, B. K., & Mantovani, F. (2019) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.29099.gri · Cited by 608 · see citing works
Munafo, J., Diedrick, M., & Stoffregen, T. A. (2017) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-016-4846-7 · Cited by 566 · see citing works
Virtual Reality-Induced Symptoms and Effects (VRISE)
Cobb, S. V. G., Nichols, S., Ramsey, A., & Wilson, J. R. (1999) · PRESENCE Virtual and Augmented Reality · doi:10.1162/105474699566152 · Cited by 512 · see citing works
Epidemiology, course, and outcome of eating disorders
Smink, F. R. E., van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2013) · Current Opinion in Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/yco.0b013e328365a24f · Cited by 504 · see citing works
Valmaggia, L. R., Latif, L., Kempton, M. J., & Rus-Calafell, M. (2016) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.015 · Cited by 500 · see citing works
Recent Progress in Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Phobias: A Systematic Review
Botella, C., Fernández-Álvarez, J., Guillén, V., García-Palacios, A., & Baños, R. (2017) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-017-0788-4 · Cited by 460 · see citing works
Excess mortality, causes of death and prognostic factors in anorexia nervosa.
Papadopoulos, F. C., Ekbom, A., Brandt, L., & Ekselius, L. (2009) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.108.054742 · Cited by 448 · see citing works
A learning model of binge eating: Cue reactivity and cue exposure
Jansen, A. T. M. (1998) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(98)00055-2 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Is clinical virtual reality ready for primetime?
Rizzo, A. “., & Koenig, S. T. (2017) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/neu0000405 · Cited by 372 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Historically, across disorders, implementation of VR in treatment was limited by the cost of technology and concerns about acceptability (eg, motion sickness experienced by a high percentage of participants) [57,58].”
BackgroundBirckhead, B., Khalil, C., Liu, X., Conovitz, S., Rizzo, A., Danovitch, I., Bullock, K., & Spiegel, B. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/11973 · Cited by 372 · see citing works
Virtual reality in mental health: A review of the literature
Gregg, L., & Tarrier, N. (2007) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-007-0173-4 · Cited by 304 · see citing works
Binge-Eating Disorder in Adults
Brownley, K. A., Berkman, N. D., Peat, C. M., Lohr, K. N., Cullen, K., Bann, C., & Bulik, C. M. (2016) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/m15-2455 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Wechsler, T. F., Kümpers, F., & Mühlberger, A. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01758 · Cited by 282 · see citing works
Robillard, G., Bouchard, S., Fournier, T., & Renaud, P. (2003) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/109493103769710497 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Deacon, B. J., Farrell, N. R., Kemp, J. J., Dixon, L. J., Sy, J. T., Zhang, A. R., & McGrath, P. B. (2013) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.04.006 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Virtual reality exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a meta-analysis
Kothgassner, O. D., Goreis, A., Kafka, J. X., Van Eickels, R. L., Plener, P. L., & Felnhofer, A. (2019) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1654782 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Redefining therapeutic success with virtual reality exposure therapy
Garcia-Palacios, A., Hoffman, H. G., Kwong See, S., Tsai, A., & Botella, C. (2001) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/109493101300210231 · Cited by 212 · see citing works
Deng, W., Hu, D., Xu, S., Liu, X., Zhao, J., Chen, Q., Liu, J., Zhang, Z., Jiang, W., Ma, L., et al. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.086 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
Measuring the Sense of Presence and its Relations to Fear of Heights in Virtual Environments
Regenbrecht, H. T., Schubert, T. W., & Friedmann, F. (1998) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1207/s15327590ijhc1003_2 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Kaye, W. H., Klump, K. L., Frank, G., & Strober, M. A. (2000) · Annual Review of Medicine · doi:10.1146/annurev.med.51.1.299 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
The use of virtual reality in craving assessment and cue-exposure therapy in substance use disorders
Hone-Blanchet, A., Wensing, T., & Fecteau, S. (2014) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00844 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Head-mounted virtual reality and mental health: critical review of current research
Jerdan, S. W., Grindle, M., van Woerden, H. C., & Kamel Boulos, M. N. (2018) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/games.9226 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Blakey, S. M., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.07.002 · Cited by 186 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, reviews [36,37] show limited evidence that safety behaviors may not be detrimental to exposure efficacy based on the inhibitory learning model and thus conclude that judicious use of safety behavior can be clinically indicated.”
BackgroundFerrer‐García, M., & Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, J. (2011) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.10.001 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Neural Responses to Visual Food Cues: Insights from Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
García‐García, I., Narberhaus, A., Marqués‐Iturria, I., Garolera, M., Rădoi, A., Segura, B., Pueyo, R., Ariza, M., & Jurado, M. Á. (2013) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.2216 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
The Use of Virtual Reality in Patients with Eating Disorders: Systematic Review
Clus, D., Larsen, M. E., Lemey, C., & Berrouiguet, S. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.7898 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Bulik, C. M., Sullivan, P. F., Carter, F. A., McIntosh, V. V. W., & Joyce, P. R. (1998) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291798006618 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Cesa, G. L., Manzoni, G. M., Bacchetta, M., Castelnuovo, G., Conti, S., Gaggioli, A., Mantovani, F., Molinari, E., Cárdenas-López, G., & Riva, G. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2441 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Self-citationLinardon, J., Hindle, A., & Brennan, L. (2018) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.22850 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Ferrer‐García, M., Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, J., Pla‐Sanjuanelo, J., Vilalta‐Abella, F., Riva, G., Clerici, M., Ribas‐Sabaté, J., Andreu‐Gracia, A., Fernandez‐Aranda, F., Forcano, L., et al. (2017) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.2538 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Marco, J. H., Perpiñá, C., & Botella, C. (2013) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.02.023 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Weisz, J. R., Chu, B. C., & Polo, A. J. (2004) · Clinical Psychology Science and Practice · doi:10.1093/clipsy.bph085 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Exposure therapy in eating disorders revisited
Koskina, A., Campbell, I. C., & Schmidt, U. (2013) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.11.010 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Lindner, P., Miloff, A., Zetterlund, E., Reuterskiöld, L., Andersson, G., & Carlbring, P. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00176 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Weisman, J. S., & Rodebaugh, T. L. (2018) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.10.010 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Outcomes associated with virtual reality in psychological interventions: where are we now?
Turner, W. A., & Casey, L. M. (2014) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.10.003 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Suokas, J. T., Suvisaari, J., Gissler, M., Löfman, R., Linna, M. S., Raevuori, A., & Haukka, J. K. (2013) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.07.042 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
de Carvalho, M., Dias, T., Duchesne, M., Nardi, A. E., & Appolinário, J. C. (2017) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs7030043 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Ferrer‐García, M., Pla‐Sanjuanelo, J., Dakanalis, A., Vilalta‐Abella, F., Riva, G., Fernández‐Aranda, F., Forcano, L., Riesco, N., Sánchez, I., Clerici, M., et al. (2018) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0675 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Six-Month Follow-Up of In-Patient Experiential Cognitive Therapy for Binge Eating Disorders
Riva, G., Bacchetta, M., Cesa, G., Conti, S., & Molinari, E. (2003) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/109493103322011533 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Pla‐Sanjuanelo, J., Ferrer‐García, M., Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, J., Riva, G., Andreu‐Gracia, A., Dakanalis, A., Fernández‐Aranda, F., Forcano, L., Ribas‐Sabaté, J., Riesco, N., et al. (2014) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.12.098 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Serino, S., Polli, N., & Riva, G. (2018) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22724 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Deterioration rates in Virtual Reality Therapy: An individual patient data level meta-analysis
Fernández-Álvarez, J., Rozental, A., Carlbring, P., Colombo, D., Riva, G., Anderson, P. L., Baños, R. M., Benbow, A. A., Bouchard, S., Bretón-López, J. M., et al. (2019) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.06.005 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Virtual Reality Therapy: Emerging Topics and Future Challenges
Wiederhold, B. K., & Riva, G. (2019) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2018.29136.bkw · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Expanding exposure‐based interventions for eating disorders
Reilly, E. E., Anderson, L. M., Gorrell, S., Schaumberg, K., & Anderson, D. A. (2017) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.22761 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
A randomized clinical trial of cue exposure treatment through virtual reality for smoking cessation
Pericot‐Valverde, I., Secades‐Villa, R., & Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, J. (2018) · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment · doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2018.10.003 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Wolz, I., Sauvaget, A., Granero, R., Mestre‐Bach, G., Baño, M., Martín‐Romera, V., Heras, M. V. D. L., Jiménez‐Múrcia, S., Jansen, A. T. M., Roefs, A., et al. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep41736 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Knott, S., Woodward, D., Hoefkens, A., & Limbert, C. (2015) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465814000393 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Cognitive behavior therapy for eating disorders versus normalization of eating behavior
Södersten, P., Bergh, C. E. K., Leon, M., Brodin, U., & Zandian, M. (2017) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.03.016 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
The use of VR in the treatment of Eating Disorders
Giuseppe, R., Bacchetta, M., Cesa, G., Sara, C., & Molinari, E. (2004) · Studies in health technology and informatics · doi:10.3233/978-1-60750-943-1-121 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Pla‐Sanjuanelo, J., Ferrer‐García, M., Vilalta‐Abella, F., Riva, G., Dakanalis, A., Ribas‐Sabaté, J., Andreu‐Gracia, A., Fernández‐Aranda, F., Sánchez, I., Escandón‐Nagel, N., et al. (2017) · Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia Bulimia and Obesity · doi:10.1007/s40519-017-0419-4 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
The Use of a Nonimmersive Virtual Reality Programme in Anorexia Nervosa: A Single Case‐Report
Cardi, V., Krug, I., Perpiñá, C., Mataix‐Cols, D., Roncero, M., & Treasure, J. L. (2011) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.1155 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Attention Disengagement Difficulties among Average Weight Women Who Binge Eat
Lyu, Z., Zheng, P., & Jackson, T. (2016) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.2438 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
The Oxford Handbook of Eating Disorders, Second Edition
(2017) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190620998.001.0001 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Perpiñá, C., & Roncero, M. (2016) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.02.012 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Normalizing the eating pattern with virtual reality for bulimia nervosa: a case report
Roncero, M., & Perpiñá, C. (2015) · Revista Mexicana de Trastornos Alimentarios/Mexican Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.rmta.2015.11.001 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [41]Nauman E Brown T Runfola C Safer D Bullock K Nameth K Adler S Virtual reality cue exposure therapy for eating disorders: development of a culturally specific manual in the U.S. for use in a real world clinic setting 2019 International Conference on Eating Disorders March 14-16, 2019 New York
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Dincelli, E., & Yayla, A. (2022) · The Journal of Strategic Information Systems · doi:10.1016/j.jsis.2022.101717 · Cited by 490 · see citing works
Advances in immersive virtual reality interventions for mental disorders: A new reality?
Geraets, C. N. W., van der Stouwe, E. C. D., Pot-Kolder, R., & Veling, W. (2021) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.02.004 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Virtual reality in the treatment of eating disorders
Riva, G., Malighetti, C., & Serino, S. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2622 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Serino, S., Polli, N., & Riva, G. (2018) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22724 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Virtual Reality Technology in Cognitive Rehabilitation Application: Bibliometric Analysis
He, D., Cao, S., Le, Y., Wang, M., Chen, Y., & Qian, B. (2022) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/38315 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Navigating the metaverse: A technical review of emerging virtual worlds
Herath, H. M. K. K. M. B., Mittal, M., & Kataria, A. (2024) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery · doi:10.1002/widm.1538 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Magrini, M., Curzio, O., Tampucci, M., Donzelli, G., Cori, L., Imiotti, M. C., Maestro, S., & Moroni, D. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19052533 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Established and emerging treatments for eating disorders
Bryson, C., Douglas, D., & Schmidt, U. H. (2024) · Trends in Molecular Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2024.02.009 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Malighetti, C., Sansoni, M., Gaudio, S., Lernia, D. D., Matamala-Gomez, M., Serino, S., & Riva, G. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm11237134 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
So, B. P.-H., Lai, D. K.-H., Cheung, D. S. K., Lam, W., Cheung, J. C., & Wong, D. W. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19105821 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Mental health professionals’ attitudes towards virtual reality therapies: a systematic review
Bin, S., Alrashdi, D. H., Whitehead, T., Riches, S., & Drini, E. (2025) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-025-00499-x · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Oselinsky, K. M., Spitzer, A. N., Yu, Y., Ortega, F. R., Malinin, L. H., Curl, K. A., Leach, H. J., & Graham, D. J. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-32139-w · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Nameth, K., Brown, T., Bullock, K., Adler, S., Riva, G., Safer, D., & Runfola, C. (2021) · doi:10.20944/preprints202103.0152.v1 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Kip, H., Buitelaar-Huijsse, G. K. G., Kouijzer, M. M. T. E., & Kelders, S. M. (2023) · Global Implementation Research and Applications · doi:10.1007/s43477-023-00101-7 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Gómez-Busto, F. J., & Ortiz, M. I. (2020) · PubMed Central · doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore20200606 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“…the aid of VR technology, eating-related anxiety caused by exposure to specific cues, such as virtual food, can be alleviated by modifying dysfunctional thoughts and by doing so, it would increase self-efficacy, disrupting the reconsolidation of adverse food-related memories (Brown et al., 2020).”
BackgroundVeterans Affairs Health Care Provider Perceptions of Virtual Reality: Brief Exploratory Survey
Preston, A., Brown, L. M., Padala, K. P., & Padala, P. R. (2022) · Interactive Journal of Medical Research · doi:10.2196/38490 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Ajana, K., Everard, G. J., Lejeune, T. M., & Edwards, M. (2023) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/13803395.2023.2218571 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Kearns, A., Moorhead, A., Mulvenna, M. D., & Bond, R. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/58434 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Forging Stronger Bonds Through Technology: How Virtual Reality Can Instill Empathy
Wiederhold, B. K. (2020) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2020.29193.bkw · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Banakou, D., Johnston, T., Beacco, A., Şenel, G., & Slater, M. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/52212 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Healthcare and cutting-edge technology: Advancements, challenges, and future prospects
Singhal, V., Shyam, R., Singhal, S., Tiwari, A., & Mangal, D. (2025) · Computers in Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110861 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Younger and Older Adults’ Cognitive and Physical Functioning in a Virtual Reality Age Manipulation
Vahle, N. M., & Tomasik, M. J. (2022) · Frontiers in Aging · doi:10.3389/fragi.2022.851687 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Zakers, A., & Cimolai, V. (2023) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.chc.2022.08.014 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Malighetti, C., Schnitzer, C. K., YorkWilliams, S. L., Bernardelli, L., Runfola, C. D., Riva, G., & Safer, D. L. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm12237402 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Technology transforming nursing education: Perspectives from health care simulation
Pan, S., Jiang, Z., Huang, J., Xu, L., & Shang, S. (2025) · Interdisciplinary Nursing Research · doi:10.1097/nr9.0000000000000085 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
AI Integration in Behavioral Healthcare: A Practical Framework for Clinicians
Sadeh‐Sharvit, S., & Hollon, S. D. (2025) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-025-00532-z · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Effectiveness of XR‐Based Exposure Therapy for Phobic Disorders
Lamb, R. L., Perry, J., Sutherland, E. C., Hoston, D., Garris, A., & DeRiggs, A. (2025) · Journal of Counseling & Development · doi:10.1002/jcad.12557 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Multi-Modal Dual-Task Measurement: A New Virtual Reality for Assessment
Burke, T., & Rooney, B. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.635413 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sarrió-Colas, L., Reverté-Villarroya, S., Castellà-Culvi, A. B., Barberà-Roig, D., Gas-Prades, C., Coello-Segura, A., & Adell-Lleixà, M. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app15169013 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Kouijzer, M. M. T. E., Koenis, L., Huizinga, D., Kelders, S. M., Bouman, Y. H. A., & Kip, H. (2026) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/83453 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Gardini, V., Grandi, S., & Tomba, E. (2025) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.70040 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Technological Interventions for Eating and Weight Disorders
Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, J., & Riva, G. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818697-8.00057-1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Virtual Reality Revolution: Strategies for treating mental and emotional disorders
Nava, E., & Jalote-Parmar, A. (2022) · Conference proceedings/Conference proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics · doi:10.1109/smc53654.2022.9945483 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Marraccini, M. E., Delgaty, L. E., Middleton, T. J., Hubal, R. C., Brick, L. A. D., Galvan, A., Anderson, E., Frank, M., Farber, M. J., Li, Y., et al. (2025) · Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health · doi:10.1080/23794925.2025.2512537 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
At your fingertips: Do augmented reality gestures reveal product-related emotion?
Tarafdar, P., Leung, A. C. M., Yue, W. T., & Bose, I. (2025) · Decision Support Systems · doi:10.1016/j.dss.2025.114595 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Leon, C. S. D., Casas, D. A. V., & Mansilla, J.-P. (2021) · IEEE Sciences and Humanities International Research Conference (SHIRCON) · doi:10.1109/shircon53068.2021.9652296 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Utilisation de la réalité virtuelle dans les troubles des conduites alimentaires
Nivière, P., Fonséca, D. D., Deruelle, C., & Bat‐Pitault, F. (2021) · L Encéphale · doi:10.1016/j.encep.2020.11.003 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Immersive Positive Psychological Interventions: a qualitative measuring in a controlled VR trial
Kunst, M. H., Silva, E. D. H., Peres, F. F. F., Nunes, F., & Teixeira, J. R. (2025) · Symposium on Virtual and Augmented Reality (SVR) · doi:10.1109/svr67689.2025.00074 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Multi-Modal Dual-Task Measurement: A New Virtual Reality for Assessment
Burke, T., & Rooney, B. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635413 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Healthcare Provider Perceptions of Virtual Reality: An Exploratory Survey (Preprint)Preprint
Preston, A., Brown, L. M., Padala, K. P., & Padala, P. R. (2022) · doi:10.2196/preprints.38490
Kearns, A., Moorhead, A., Mulvenna, M. D., & Bond, R. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.58434
The Transformative Power of Mindfulness: Enhancing Behavioral Change for a Healthier Lifestyle
Shapiro, S. L., Goldenhersch, E., & Toye, E. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-0821-5_97-1
Chang, C.-W. (2025) · Applied Neuropsychology Adult · doi:10.1080/23279095.2025.2484787
Phoa, P. K. A., Marcus, M., Siau, C. S., Wong, Y. H., Naidu, C. S., Dain, C., & Wee, L. H. (2025) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-025-00646-7
Pitch Me One More Time: Using Virtual Reality to Overcome Stage Fright in Pitching
Vibeto, H. A., Mana, S. V., & Taheri, M. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-76902-3_20
Kouijzer, M. M. T. E., Koenis, L., Huizinga, D., Kelders, S. M., Bouman, Y. H. A., & Kip, H. (2025) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.07.02.25330712
Angra, S., & Sharma, B. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394302864.ch14
Exploring the use of virtual reality for episodic future thinking
van Baal, S. T., Petratos, V., Prouzeau, A., Genay, A., & Verdejo-García, A. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106912
Roccaforte, G., Meduri, A., Failla, C., Franco, D., Vitolo, M., Maiorana, M. V., Musotto, R., Rabarbari, E., Natale, A. F. D., Antichi, L., et al. (2026) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-33500-5_33
- Authors
- Brown, T., Nauman Vogel, E., Adler, S., Bohon, C., Bullock, K., Nameth, K., Riva, G., Safer, D. L., & Runfola, C. D.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Safer, Debra L
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2020-04-23
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e16386
- ISSN
- 1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7206518
- OpenAlex
- W3020675104
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 2.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- virtual reality, eating disorders, cue exposure therapy, treatment discontinuation, clinical implementation, clinical protocol development
- MeSH terms
- Feeding and Eating Disorders, Humans, Treatment Outcome, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
