Schema therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people understand and change long-standing emotional patterns, often rooted in childhood. A key technique involves “mode dialogues,” where patients imagine interactions with parts of themselves—such as a punitive parent or vulnerable child mode. While effective for many, these exercises rely heavily on mental imagery, which can be challenging for some individuals.
To address this, Elise van der Stouwe is developing new Virtual Reality (VR) schema therapy exercises that use avatars to represent these internal modes. These exercises are co-created with patients and experienced schema therapists to ensure they are emotionally resonant, clinically relevant, and practically feasible.
In the VRAST project (funded by NWO), the newly developed VR exercises are tested in an experimental setting with university students. The study compares them to traditional imagination-based exercises, focusing on immersion, emotional impact, and preliminary therapeutic effects.
In the VR-STEM project (funded by ZonMw), the exercises are piloted in clinical practice with patients from the University Center of Psychiatry (UCP). This study investigates feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness, and explores whether VR can maintain the therapeutic relationship central to schema therapy.
Together, these projects aim to make experiential therapy more accessible and impactful for a broader range of individuals
