VR Therapies for IBD

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Ulcerative Colitis (UC), Crohn Disease (CD), Anxiety

In brief

Through a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), the aim is to test the clinical impact and feasibility of a AI-enhanced Virtual Reality (VR) Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) program versus distraction VR among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and anxiety. It is hypothesized that using VR/AI CBT may reduce anxiety and IBD symptoms, leading to improved overall physical, psychological, and social functioning when compared to distraction VR.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07590518

Run by

Brennan Spiegel

People needed

76

Starts

2026-06-01

Expected to finish

2027-07-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-15

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures, VR therapy regimen, and availability for the duration of the study
• Age of 18 years or older
• Confirmed diagnosis of IBD with concurrent anxiety, defined as a GAD-7 score of ≥10
• Ability to read and write in English (VR/AI CBT program is currently only available in English)
• Access to an internet-enabled device (android or iOS smartphone, or personal laptop or desktop computer) to complete surveys and has access to internet and email complete baseline and assessment surveys.

You may not qualify if…

• Have a condition that interferes with the safe use of VR usage, such as history of seizures, facial injuries precluding headset placement, significant visual or hearing impairment that impacts ability to see the VR images or follow audio instructions
• Have cognitive impairments that would affect protocol participation.
• Currently engaged in psychotherapy (Patients who are taking medications for anxiety or have previously engaged in psychotherapy but are not currently in therapy will remain eligible).
• Have had an IBD related surgery (including perianal surgery) within the past 6 months or anticipated in the next 6 months
• Anticipated to change their IBD inflammatory treatment during the study period.

Where it is running

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — Los Angeles, California, United States
• University of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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