Ketamine One Capital announced on Wednesday it had inked an exclusive deal with OVR Tech for virtual reality (VR) olfactory treatments aimed at deepening immersion, relaxation, and lowering stress.
OVR Tech will provide its solutions to Ketamine One’s psychedelic-assisted treatments, which include ketamine, DMT, psilocybin, and MDMA to boost patient outcomes, the company said in a statement.
OVR’s INHALE Wellness Platform works with breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness treatments along with aromatherapy. The Vermont-based firm’s ION platform also includes a VR headset with scented cartridges, simulating nature scenes to deepen immersive experiences.
The ‘Scent’ platform’s Olfactory Experience Engine triggers water-based scents during VR experiences delivered via the cartridges, which have been tested extensively in studies.
Patients at Ketamine One’s clinics receive the experiences via the company’s Immersive Virtual Reality service.
According to the firm’s research, scent therapy sparks “emotional and evocative associations and can immediately alter mood”. Additional data revealed odours immediately activated parts of the brain associated with memories, emotions, and associations, boosting therapeutic efficacy.
Dr Quang Henderson, Chair of Ketamine One’s Clinic Innovation Council, said his company believe the ION system’s ability to alter perceptual experiences was “extremely promising”.
He added,
“Optimizing the therapeutic setting is one of the main goals of our VR-based research and development program and being able to utilize the sense of smell to help patients relax, reduce tension and lower stress is expected to result in the development of a comprehensive treatment”
According to Adam Deffett, Interim Chief Executive of Ketamine One, the firm’s contract research organisation, KGK Science, along with greater access to a large number of patients and its OVR platform, could potentially lead clinically tested solutions for clinics as well as patient homes by developing portable digital therapeutic systems in the future.
Aaron Wisniewski, Chief Executive and co-founder of OVR Technologies, added:
“This is the first VR platform that understands user behavior in the virtual world and responds with real-time sensory stimulation. It has the potential to significantly enhance the wellness capabilities of an already promising technology”
VR Gains in Mental Health Treatment, Telemedicine
The news comes as numerous firms have released VR solutions aimed at tackling mental health concerns, namely amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tripp, a meditation VR startup, allows users to meditate with VR programmes, without using hallucinogenics, to reduce stress levels triggered by disruptions in the global health crisis and others.
Boston’s XRHealth also developed a mixed reality (MR) solution to offer telehealth clinical care to patients at their homes.
The United States Air Force has also built VR training modules to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as sexual assault reporting training, among others.
According to statistics, the VR healthcare market is expected to reach over $33 billion USD by 2027.
