Josh Sackman: VR Pain Relief — Using Virtual Reality to Reduce & Manage Chronic Pain | Episode 71

Brain Shaman

Josh Sackman, cofounder and president of AppliedVR, joins us today to talk about pain management using virtual reality (VR). We discuss the bio-psycho-social dimensions of pain, and how to manage and reduce it accordingly.
Some of the evidence-based tools and features discussed include: breath (e.g. box, 4-7-8, Wim Hof, diaphragmatic breathing, etc.), visualization, social connection, mindfulness & meditation, distraction & attention control, movement & interactivity, presence & immersion, sleep, biofeedback, interoception-building practices, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), pain education, grit & resilience, voice, and various other self-regulatory techniques.
Although VR has proven benefits for the reduction and management of both acute and chronic pain, the goal of today's episode is to teach you principles, practices, and skills that you can use anywhere and anytime, with or without the headset.
We discuss the various benefits of VR, how it compares with opioids and other existing therapies and technologies, common hurdles that VR helps overcome (e.g. accessibility, availability, affordability, complexity, enjoyability), pain's connection and interference with other facets of life (e.g. sleep, social interaction, mood, etc.), and how to find more peace, stability, and calm amidst your pain.
**CONNECT & LEARN MORE**
Josh's LinkedIn: /joshsackman
company (AppliedVR) website: appliedvr.io
product (RelieVRx) website: relievrx.com
Instagram: @appliedvr
LinkedIn: /appliedvr
RESOURCES
BOOKS
- Breath by James Nestor
COMPANIES, SCHOOLS, & ORGANIZATIONS
- ByteDance
- International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
- Stanford University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Washington
- USC
- Virtual Human Interaction Lab (@Stanford)
PEOPLE
- Albert "Skip" Rizzo
- Andrew Weil
- Beth Darnall
- Bob Jester
- Hunter Hoffman
- James Nestor
- Jeremy Bailenson
- Matt Walker
- Sean Mackey
- Wim Hof
PODCASTS
- Huberman Lab
- Dr. Sean Mackey: Tools to Reduce & Manage Pain (1/15/2024)
- 6-part sleep series with Matt Walker (4/3/2024 ~)
- The Matt Walker Podcast
Learn more at: appliedvr.io