Art therapy mobilizes creation as a support for expression, exploration and shaping of experience. Virtual reality opens up a new immersive creative space in which the user can engage in an artistic activity while being accompanied by the practitioner.
By going beyond the physical framework of the sheet or the workshop, immersive creation allows us to explore space, shapes and personal expression in a different way, in a reproducible digital environment.
Art therapy traditionally relies on physical supports allowing the patient to draw, paint, model or assemble. These mediations offer numerous possibilities, but remain constrained by the space available, the material present and the physical properties of the support used.
A creation on paper or canvas remains limited to a defined surface. Some patients may also be held back by their relationship to the result, their perception of their artistic skills or the fear of producing something “successful”.
Virtual reality introduces a different creative space, immersive and detached from usual material constraints, which the practitioner can integrate into their support approach.
Virtual reality transforms creation into an experience in which the user is no longer satisfied with observing his work: he can evolve in the space where it takes shape.
This change in perspective opens up new possibilities for exploring shapes, volumes, space and the relationship to one's own creation. The immersive experience can also facilitate engagement by shifting the focus from the artistic output to the creative process itself.
The practitioner maintains his central place in the session and can use this digital mediation to support expression, personal exploration and verbalization around the lived experience.
Immersive creation
The practitioner installs the user in a suitable space and puts on the virtual reality headset.
The practitioner defines the objective of the session and supports the user in discovering the immersive creation space.
The creative process can then serve as a support for the exchange around the choices, sensations, emotions and representations that appeared during the experience.
Environments
Some of our different environments available to accompany your relaxation and hypnosis sessions.
A calm tropical beach, lined with palm trees and open to a peaceful ocean.
A snowy Japanese forest with a view of Mount Fuji, a river and a wooden bridge.
A walk in the forest between mountains, waterfall and river, in soft light.
An exploration of the seabed among dolphins, a wreck and algae.
A warm living room facing a fireplace, with a snow-covered forest visible in the distance.
A peaceful flight over an alpine forest, along a waterfall to the lake.
An evening by the fire, under a starry sky illuminated by the Northern Lights.
A hot air balloon flight offering a panoramic view of the landscape.
A walk in the heart of a bamboo forest accompanied by birdsong.
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Solène Montègue
Neuropsychiatrist
The developments C2Care is currently integrating into the interface are very promising and meet the established therapeutic objectives [...]: offering tailored exercises that can be adapted to levels of dependency, cognitive disorders, and patients' real-time responses.
Samia Lahya
Psychiatrist
With the acquisition of new equipment [...] and updates to the C2Care programs, its use has expanded even further: OCD, phobias, addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD. Ten years later, it is no longer merely a curiosity, but a genuine therapeutic tool that is stimulating, innovative, and effective.
Sabrina Gineau
Psychologist
I incorporate this technology into brief therapies lasting two to four months, with one session per week. I begin with relaxation techniques and, when patients are ready, we proceed. It makes it much easier to expose people to these situations.
Noël Schepers
Psychologist
Virtual reality can enrich and personalize treatment, facilitate patient-therapist collaboration in developing the treatment plan, and add a playful dimension. The possibilities for development and application are immense and extend to every area of psychology and psychotherapy.
Mélanie Boucherot
Psychologist
The value of this technology [C2Care] lies in offering new possibilities for therapeutic support and expanding the range of tools available to healthcare professionals.
François Maltese
Psychologist
For several months, we have been using virtual reality in habituation therapies. Before the procedure, patients are progressively and immersively exposed to their future medical environment and psychologically prepared to accept it.
Dre Marie-Claude Roberge
Doctor of Psychology
Since 2022, we have been using virtual reality therapy with the C2Care platform to simulate exposure to aversive stimuli and triggers that cause anxiety. Exposure therapy is used to treat specific phobias, including fear of heights, enclosed spaces, flying, dogs, emetophobia, and many others.
Dr Laure Du Pouget
Urologist
Using a virtual reality headset for self-hypnosis during prostate biopsies creates a calm atmosphere for a procedure that can sometimes be uncomfortable, even with effective local anesthesia...
Delphine Py
Psychologist
Thank you to C2Care for providing innovative virtual reality solutions to support CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)! A major step forward in making exposure exercises easier and helping our patients overcome their phobias.
Cao et al. — Art therapy in virtual reality for elderly people with mild cognitive impairment
Effects of artificial intelligence and virtual reality interventions in art therapy among older people with mild cognitive impairment
Tieri et al. — Virtual reality rehabilitation protocol based on art therapy after stroke
Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Protocol Based on Art Therapy in Patients with Stroke: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Hacmun et al. — Principles and possibilities of art therapy in virtual reality
The Principles of Art Therapy in Virtual Reality
Immersive metaverse art — Immersive creation, engagement and emotional regulation
Immersive metaverse art as a psychological intervention for depression and anxiety: a narrative review and multilevel model integrating engagement, cultural identity, and neurocognitive mechanisms
Discover more
Depending on the objectives of your sessions, other areas may also be relevant to explore. Discover different uses of virtual reality available in the C2Care ecosystem.
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FAQ
Find the main information on using an immersive creative environment as mediation during an art therapy session.
Virtual reality art therapy consists of integrating an immersive digital environment as a support for creation and expression. The headset allows the user to evolve in a virtual space during the creative process, while the professional retains his supporting role.
Virtual creation can go beyond the framework of a physical surface and introduce a spatial and immersive dimension. The literature describes in particular the possibility of using three-dimensional space and modifying the point of view on creation.
The objective of artistic mediation is not necessarily aesthetic performance. The creative process, the choices made and the lived experience can constitute supports for expression and exchange with the professional.
No. Virtual reality constitutes an additional digital medium. The definition of objectives, the support of the session and the work around what emerges during creation remain the responsibility of the professional.
Yes. Work has described the principles specific to immersive artistic creation and several recent studies have evaluated interventions combining art therapy and virtual reality, particularly with elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and patients undergoing rehabilitation after a stroke.
A randomized trial published in 2025 among 60 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment reported improvements in several cognitive functions in the group using virtual reality in art therapy. Another randomized trial published in 2024 in 40 patients after a stroke observed functional improvements in the group using a rehabilitation protocol based on VR art therapy. These results relate to specific research protocols and do not constitute validation of the C2Care application itself.
Immersive creation can be integrated by the professional into their own practice framework and used alongside other mediations or exercises when this corresponds to the objectives of the support.
C2Care 3D environments are designed for use with a compatible virtual reality headset. C2Care notably supports the Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro as well as several professional Pico headsets.
Yes. The different C2Care environments are grouped within a single application, which allows the professional to move from one area of use to another from the same ecosystem.
