[From The Vancouver Sun]
Virtual meditative `walk in park´ aimed at relieving long-term pain
By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun
October 12, 2009
A virtual meditative walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered for chronic pain sufferers.
Simon Fraser University associate professor Diane Gromala claims research shows a 3-D stroll in the forest has the power to help people manage chronic pain, sometimes with better results than traditional means such as morphine.
Gromala, head of SFU´s Transforming Pain Research Group, is in the midst of developing such a virtual reality technique called “walking meditation.”
The technique is one of several programs including virtual reality video games and meditation chambers, used around the world to aid sufferers of chronic back pain and migraines, among others.
“In our scientific tests, it´s proven to be better than opiates, but for people who have chronic pain, they have a range of things they use,” Gromala said.… read more. “Virtual meditative ‘walk in park’ aimed at relieving long-term pain”