RelieVRx offers hope for Veterans with chronic pain

Virtual reality as therapy

For many Veterans, living with chronic pain can make daily life difficult. VA is helping change that through innovative, non-drug treatments like RelieVRx, a virtual reality (VR) therapy that can be used in the comfort of your home.

What is RelieVRx?

RelieVRx is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized VR prescription program designed for patients with chronic pain that lasts more than three months. Using a VR headset, Veterans follow an 8-week program that combines cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques and pain education through immersive VR experiences. Each chapter in the program builds upon the last, allowing Veterans to refine coping skills, develop habits and establish the foundation for lasting pain relief.

Throughout the program, Veterans can experience a variety of immersive environments designed to enhance the therapeutic experience. Some environments are help to enhance breathing techniques, some are meant to refocus the mind and instill a sense of calm, while other environments are more interactive exercises.

“When it comes to VR, whether for pain or anxiety or loneliness or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Veterans are asking for more, especially more of this technology in their homes. They want to be able to use it when and how they need it, in alignment with the care plans that their VA providers have given them,” said Dr. Anne Lord Bailey, executive director of Strategic Initiatives Lab.

RelieVRx is part of VA’s larger effort to expand non-pharmacologic pain care options and reduce dependence on opioids. VA Immersive, a pillar of Strategic Initiatives Lab within Veterans Health Administration Digital Health Office’s AI and Emerging Technologies Program, has supported the implementation of VR in over 170 medical centers nationwide, and RelieVRx has been adopted at more than three dozen VA sites. Veterans who complete the program often report less pain, improved mood and better sleep, all without leaving their home.

Life changing experience

One VA Palo Alto-based Veteran who completed the RelieVRx program using a VR headset shared: “It was an incredible, life-changing experience. For years, I have heard of and even tried mindfulness, but until RelieVRx, I never really understood how. I also really appreciated the body screens showing how breathing replaces stress in the body so positively. That helped me in ways too difficult to explain. It’s the first time I have understood all of these aspects and appreciate their inherent value—especially with my PTSD issues.”

This Veteran’s story highlights how powerful the experience can be, not only for managing pain, but also for improving overall mental health and well-being. The Veteran even asked how to continue using the program and offered to serve as an ambassador to help others discover its benefits.

Looking ahead

RelieVRx is now available under VA’s Federal Supply Schedule, meaning any VA provider can prescribe it to eligible Veterans. VA continues to evaluate how immersive technologies like VR can enhance care for chronic pain, rehabilitation and mental health across the system.

So many Veterans have already benefited from programs like RelieVRx, gaining both new understandings of how physical stress manifests in the body and ways to approach their pain relief journeys in ways that was hard to imagine before immersive technology.

VA Immersive

VA has deployed over 4,700 virtual reality (VR) headsets across more than 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa, with over 40 documented use cases and more than 10,000 Veteran experiences to date. To learn more, visit VA Immersive.