The Retreat offers veterans a virtual place to relax, reflect and learn. (Image courtesy Lighthouse XR)
In an ideal world, veterans fighting substance use disorders would have access to safe, peaceful retreats where recovery tools were shared over a campfire by fellow vets who have traveled that road or in a laid-back conversation with a professional at a picnic table.
Unfortunately, funding such specialized treatment for the thousands of veterans struggling with recovery is infeasible — in the real world, at least. In the virtual world of the immersive therapy platform TSTVR at The Retreat, those scenarios and more are used to help veterans on their recovery journeys.
The virtual platform is based on the principles of a mental health and substance use disorder treatment program called Transcending Self Therapy, which clinical psychologist Jarrod Reisweber co-founded and brought to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is similar to cognitive behavioral therapy but emphasizes patients “living a values-driven life and building better connections with people,” Reisweber says. “Probably 99% of the time, people want to do good and help the world. So, when we get them on that track, they are more likely to recover.”
TST was seeing positive outcomes among veterans when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and sparked the need to “pivot and adapt to the new landscape,” says Reisweber, who is also an assistant professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Psychology.
Enter Richmond-based Lighthouse XR, an extended reality company founded in 2018 by husband-and-wife team Mark Lambert and Dale DeJarnette. After a successful career in feature film work, Lambert, who had loved ones go through substance use disorders, started exploring virtual reality as a recovery tool. The pair worked two years on an extended reality program but were also looking to partner with a therapy program, which they found in 2020 with TST.
The resulting virtual therapy program is used at home or at the VA to supplement and enhance traditional sessions with a clinician. Ten virtual sessions include activities such as learning key concepts, playing games, meditating and watching recordings. Completing tasks can unlock bonus features for participants such as a guided tour of Paris or a hot-air balloon ride — all without leaving their chairs.
The program creators are constantly gathering feedback from veterans and clinicians to improve the treatment, Lambert says. “One of our focuses has been on interactive elements,” he says, giving examples such as climbing a mountain or playing musical instruments.
In different rounds of clinical trials, which started in December 2021, veterans who used the virtual reality program had higher treatment retention rates, lower rates for transitioning to a higher level of care and lower rates of testing positive for drugs during treatment, according to data provided by Reisweber. He collaborated with Lambert and James Bjork, associate professor of psychiatry at VCU and neuroscientist in the mental health service of the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center, on the clinical trials under the leadership of Mary Bradshaw, chief of mental health service at Central Virginia VA Health Care System, and J. Ronald Johnson, system executive director.
Reisweber discussed the initial findings and offered the chance to try a headset during a demo day held June 7 for U.S. Congress members and their aides. The team hopes to gain support in Congress to develop and expand the program to more centers across the country, he says.
