VR therapy for addiction: understand and modify craving in a targeted way
The complement to classical cognitive behavioral therapy
Relapse decisions occur in everyday life, not in the therapy room.
VR exposure makes it possible to reach and modify this moment under therapeutic guidance.
Realistic trigger situations in VR therapy
Alone in the evening: tension increases, thoughts about consumption arise, the gaze falls on the familiar place. Even before a conscious decision is made, the action begins.
In the treatment of addiction disorders, this sequence is usually discussed only afterwards.
Exactly where abstinence or consumption is decided, therapeutic support is normally not present. As a result, relapse prevention is often understood but not practically trained.
Experience and interrupt craving in a targeted way
With the VR Coach smart system, typical trigger situations can be experienced in a targeted way — without real consumption risk. Situations such as being alone at home, bar environments, or gambling settings become immediately tangible.
The therapeutically relevant moment is the one shortly before the action: it can be repeatedly accessed and worked on together.
This makes a phase of treatment accessible that is otherwise usually discussed only retrospectively.
Train behavior and impulse control in VR
The situation can be guided up to the decisive point: the drink is lifted, the cigarette is already in the hand, the bet has been placed. Exactly here the transition from craving to action normally occurs.
In exposure, this step can be experienced without real consumption. The initiated action is perceived, paused, and modified. Instead of only discussing the impulse, it is interrupted directly — repeatedly and under therapeutic guidance.
This does not create avoidance, but experience: the critical moment can be endured and influenced.
Training alternative behaviors (3P technique)
The sequence is repeated several times: the impulse arises, is noticed, and actively changed.
For example using the 3P technique (Pull – Pause – Push):
The action impulse is allowed, interrupted, and transformed into an alternative action.
The strategy is not only understood but practiced in a concrete way — a central component of modern relapse prevention.
Application across different addictions
Whether alcohol dependence, cannabis or cocaine use, nicotine, opioids, or gambling — the specific triggers differ, but the sequence remains similar: internal state → behavioral tendency → automatic action.
The intervention therefore targets the decision window itself. Situations can be repeated until the way the impulse is handled changes — regardless of the substance.
Working within the session
Therapists observe physical activation, thoughts, craving, and action tendencies directly at the moment they occur.
Sequences can be recalled again, varied, and evaluated together — also in group settings.
VR therapy vs. classical addiction therapy
With the VR Coach smart system, the moment shortly before the action can be reached deliberately without risking real consumption — an access that is otherwise difficult to create in everyday therapeutic practice.
Relapse prevention can therefore be practiced in a concrete way: not only discussed, but interrupted and repeated at the decisive moment.
Advantages of VR therapy for addiction
VR therapy makes it possible to experience addiction-triggering situations in a controlled and realistic way. This allows behavioral patterns to be identified in a targeted manner and new strategies to be practiced in a safe environment.
This creates a structured foundation for therapeutic work and supports relapse prevention in everyday life.
VR therapy is also used for phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and depression.
Content and possible applications
An overview of all available situations and therapeutic applications can be found in the catalog. Many institutions first use it for orientation and then discuss together how it can be integrated into their treatment concept.
Order your catalog with price list now – without obligation
Inside you will learn:
- Which content the individual modules offer
- How you can test the smartsystem
- Which VR headsets are compatible
- All hardware and software prices
After submitting the form, we will send you the catalog and price list promptly by email.
