Why VR Matters Now
For years, virtual reality (VR) therapy was often dismissed as a gimmick—something flashy but impractical, more associated with video games than serious medicine. Early attempts lacked the clinical evidence and scalability needed to be taken seriously in behavioral health.
That’s changed. Today, VR therapy is FDA-registered, HIPAA-compliant, and already used in more than 1 million clinical sessions across 50+ clinical trials worldwide¹. For mental health treatment, VR is validated for anxiety/PTSD, and meta-analysis shows VR exposure can perform as well as traditional exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)³. At the same time, new therapeutic frameworks are being developed to expand VR into other approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)².
“What excites me is how far VR has come. We’ve gone from seeing it as a futuristic idea to having evidence-based tools we can actually use in treatment to help patients practice real recovery skills.”
Lenny Harner, Outpatient Clinical Director
Where VR is still emerging—but incredibly promising—is in addiction treatment. Recent studies highlight how VR cue-exposure therapy can safely trigger cravings and help patients practice coping strategies in real time⁴,⁵. That’s why Enterhealth partnered with XRHealth to bring the full range of VR therapy to our outpatient programs—focusing on two of the most important challenges our patients face: managing triggers and cravings, and supporting trauma recovery.
How VR Therapy Works
VR therapy uses immersive headsets to place patients inside controlled therapeutic environments. These sessions aren’t about “escaping reality”, they’re about confronting it in a supervised, clinically structured environment. Patients can practice coping with cravings, regulating stress, or reprocessing traumatic memories under the guidance of a licensed therapist.
According to XRHealth, VR therapy consistently improves patient engagement and adherence, with compliance rates of 91% compared to just 50% in standard care¹. That’s because the technology transforms therapy from something patients are told to imagine into something they can directly experience. The environments are interactive, engaging, and tailored to the individual—making it easier to stay motivated and practice new skills repeatedly until they stick.
Beyond compliance, VR offers practical therapeutic advantages:
- Immersive Cue Exposure: VR reliably elicits cravings in people with alcohol use disorder⁴, validating its ability to recreate real-world triggers under controlled conditions. This allows clinicians to expose patients to high-risk situations without risk of relapse.
- Integration with Therapy Models: VR modules can be layered into CBT, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), or mindfulness training, boosting skill practice and making therapy more engaging and transferable to real life⁷.
- Multi-sensory Engagement: Many VR programs include not just visual and auditory input but also elements that mimic body positioning and movement. This helps patients build “muscle memory” for coping strategies they can later apply in real-world scenarios.
- Personalized Therapy: With platforms like XRHealth, therapists can select from a wide range of modules—from craving simulations to guided relaxation and trauma exposure—ensuring each patient’s session is directly aligned with their treatment goals¹.
Taken together, these features make VR therapy more than just a novel tool. It’s a clinically functional, evidence-backed way to help patients learn, rehearse, and reinforce recovery skills in a setting that feels real, but remains safe.
Enterhealth’s Outpatient VR Program
At Enterhealth, VR is being integrated directly into outpatient treatment, where accessibility, engagement, and skill transfer into everyday life are critical. This isn’t a side experiment, it’s part of our partnership with XRHealth, giving patients access to the full suite of therapeutic modules. That means sessions can be tailored to address the specific challenges our patients face, whether that’s cravings, trauma, or day-to-day stress.
”Innovation is part of Enterhealth’s DNA. By adding VR to our outpatient programs, we’re not just keeping pace with the latest science—we’re helping define how immersive tools will shape the future of addiction treatment.
Dee Ann Higgins, Senior Therapist
Patients participate in VR therapy in both individual and group settings, guided by clinicians who ensure each immersive session reinforces recovery strategies. By blending VR with traditional therapy, Enterhealth helps patients bridge the gap between clinical care and real-world recovery.
Key areas of focus include:
- Cravings & Relapse Prevention: VR can safely recreate high-risk environments—such as bars, parties, or stressful social scenarios—that might otherwise trigger relapse. Patients learn and practice coping strategies in these simulations until they become second nature, reducing risk when similar situations occur in real life.
- Stress & Anxiety Management: Relaxation environments, guided breathing exercises, and mindfulness modules help patients regulate emotions and reduce physiological stress responses. These immersive experiences provide tools patients can carry with them into daily life.
- Trauma Therapy: For patients with trauma histories, VR supports exposure-based interventions in a controlled manner. Immersive trauma-focused sessions allow for gradual reprocessing of memories, reducing the overwhelming impact of triggers while increasing resilience.
- Personalization Through XRHealth: With access to XRHealth’s full library of modules, clinicians can select the most relevant programs for each patient—whether that’s focusing on cravings, stress regulation, or trauma recovery—ensuring therapy is tailored to the individual¹.
”VR has been rigorously validated for anxiety and PTSD. At Enterhealth, we’re adapting those same immersive tools for addiction recovery—helping patients safely confront cravings and practice relapse-prevention strategies.
Lenny Harner, Outpatient Clinical Director
What the Research Shows
Virtual reality therapy isn’t just an idea—it’s backed by a growing body of evidence across multiple areas of behavioral health.
- Validated in Mental Health: Decades of research confirm VR’s role in treating anxiety and PTSD. Studies show that VR-based cognitive behavioral therapy is just as effective as traditional CBT for reducing symptoms³, while reviews highlight its ability to improve engagement and retention compared to standard approaches⁷. This validation gives Enterhealth a strong foundation to expand VR into addiction recovery.
- Emerging in Addiction Treatment: While still early, VR cue-exposure therapy shows promise for reducing cravings and preparing patients for high-risk situations⁵,⁷. Research also demonstrates that VR can safely induce cravings in patients with alcohol use disorder⁴, giving them a controlled environment to practice coping skills. Protocols are also underway exploring VR’s use in cocaine and polysubstance treatment, showing that the field is rapidly evolving⁶.
- Outpatient and Remote Feasibility: Platforms like XRHealth are proving that VR isn’t limited to research labs or specialized clinics. Their FDA-registered system has already been deployed in outpatient and at-home settings, with compliance rates far higher than traditional therapy models¹. That means VR isn’t just effective—it’s practical for real-world patient care.
Together, these findings validate Enterhealth’s approach: we’re building on VR’s well-established role in mental health and leading the way in applying it to addiction recovery. By integrating immersive therapy into outpatient programs now, Enterhealth is helping define the future of how these tools will be used.
The Future of Recovery at Enterhealth
VR therapy is more than a novelty—it’s the next frontier. By integrating immersive therapy into outpatient care, Enterhealth is helping patients build skills, reduce relapse risk, and engage more fully in recovery.
”Our investment in VR isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about giving patients access to the very best tools available today and positioning Enterhealth to keep leading as new therapies emerge tomorrow.
Dee Ann Higgins, Senior Therapist
We’re proud to be early adopters, and even more proud to be shaping how VR can transform addiction treatment for the future.
References
- (2025). AI-powered multidisciplinary XR platform (durable medical equipment overview). Internal briefing document provided by Enterhealth.
- Kim, H., & Choi, Y. (2025). Developing interactive VR-based digital therapeutics for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A structured framework for the digital transformation integrating gamification and multimodal arts. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, Article 1554394. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1554394
- 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). Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(10), Article 1692. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8101692
- Tsamitros, N., Gutwinski, S., Beck, A., Mussons, S. L., Sebold, M., Schöneck, R., Wolbers, T., Bermpohl, F., Heinz, A., & Lütt, A. (2024). Craving induction through virtual reality cue-exposure for patients with alcohol dependence in rehabilitation treatment. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 30550. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81071-0
- Deng et al. (2023). Virtual reality cue exposure therapy for alcohol use disorder: A feasibility study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, Article 1215963. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1215963
- Tsamitros, N., et al. (2024). Virtual reality cue-exposure therapy in reducing cocaine craving: The PICOC study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 25, Article 421. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08275-7
- Segawa, T., Baudry, T., Bourla, A., Blanc, J. V., Mouchabac, S., & Ferreri, F. (2021). Virtual reality-based treatment approaches in the field of substance use disorders. Current Addiction Reports, 8, 399–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-021-00377-5
