Virtual Reality for Mental Health: Behavioral Interventions, Therapy, Protocols, and Affective Regulation

Recent advances in immersive technologies have positioned Virtual Reality (VR) as a powerful tool for mental health assessment and intervention. In particular, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) and VR-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (VR-CBT) have demonstrated effectiveness in treating anxiety disorders, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These approaches enable controlled, safe, and ecologically valid environments where emotional and behavioral responses can be elicited, monitored, and modified in real time. Despite promising results, challenges remain in standardizing therapeutic protocols, understanding long-term outcomes, and integrating physiological and behavioral data into adaptive interventions. This Research Topic addresses the need for rigorous, interdisciplinary research that advances VR-based mental health interventions grounded in clinical evidence and behavioral science.The primary goal of this Research Topic is to consolidate and advance scientific knowledge on the use of Virtual Reality as a tool for mental health interventions, with a particular focus on evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as VRET and VR-CBT. We aim to foster contributions that investigate how immersive environments can support behavioral change, emotional regulation, and clinical treatment across a range of psychological conditions, including anxiety, phobias, and PTSD. This collection seeks to address key challenges in the field, including the design and validation of therapeutic protocols, personalization of interventions through behavioral and physiological data, and the evaluation of treatment effectiveness and transfer to real-world contexts. We invite contributions that explore the design, implementation, and evaluation of Virtual Reality-based interventions for mental health. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) for anxiety, phobias, and PTSD• VR-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (VR-CBT) protocols and frameworks• Affective regulation and emotional training in immersive environments• Integration of biofeedback and adaptive systems for personalized VR interventions• Clinical validation, outcome assessment, and real-world transfer of VR therapies Topic editors: Ana Grasielle Dionísio Corrêa, Cesar Collazos, Sergio Albiol-Perez, Tomasz Wojdynski, Monica Huerta Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81236/virtual-reality-for-mental-health-behavioral-interventions-therapy-protocols-and-affective-regulation