Healthy ParticipantsVRASTNCT07171736
Virtual Reality Assisted Schema Therapy
A study testing Virtual Reality chairwork exercise and Imagination exercise in people with Healthy Participants, run by University Medical Center Groningen at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
Schema therapy helps people understand which emotional needs were not met during childhood, and how they can take care of those needs now. One important part of the therapy is the chairwork exercise, where people imagine talking to different parts of themselves (like the strict parent or the hurt child) using empty… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Participants
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Reality chairwork exercise and Imagination exercise
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 29 Jan 2026to 1 Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Undergraduate student
- 16 years or older
- A score of ≥ 3 on (at least) one of the schema modes (Demanding Parent, Punitive Parent, and/or Vulnerable Child)
Who cannot join
- Insufficient command of the Dutch Language
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Netherlands1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
UMCG
Groningen, Provincie Groningen, 9713 GZ
Elise van der Stouwe, PhD, +31 (0)6 39199758, e.c.d.van.der.stouwe@umcg.nl
Elise van der Stouwe, PhD
About this study
Official title: VRAST: Virtual Reality Assisted Schema Therapy
Schema therapy helps people understand which emotional needs were not met during childhood, and how they can take care of those needs now. One important part of the therapy is the chairwork exercise, where people imagine talking to different parts of themselves (like the strict parent or the hurt child) using empty chairs. These exercises can be very helpful, but they can also be difficult for people who find it hard to imagine things in their mind.
Virtual Reality (VR) can make these exercises easier and more powerful. VR creates a 3D world that feels real, using special equipment like a headset. In this world, people can see and interact with virtual characters that represent different parts of themselves. This can make the therapy more concrete and easier to understand, especially for people who struggle with imagination.
Read more
In this study, the investigators want to compare the regular imagination-based exercise with the chairwork exercise done in Virtual Reality. Everyone who joins the study will do both versions of the exercise-one with imagination and one with VR. The order will be random. Before and after each exercise, a short assessment will be conducted to see how people feel. At the end, there will also be a short interview about their experience. The whole session will take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
The investigators want to know if people experience the VR exercise differently than the regular imagination exercise. The investigators also want to know if these differences depend on how well someone can imagine things in their mind.
- Conditions
- Healthy Participants
- Being tested
- Virtual Reality chairwork exercise, Imagination exercise
- Keywords
- Schema Therapy, Virtual Reality, Imagination, Mental Imagery
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual Reality chairwork exerciseBehavioural
A chairwork exercise from schema therapy, executed in Virtual Reality
Imagination exerciseBehavioural
A regular schema therapy imagination exercise
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| VR exercise then imagination exercise | Experimental | Receiving the VR exercise first and the imagination exercise second Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Reality chairwork exercise; Behavioral: Imagination exercise |
| Imaginations exercise then VR exercise | Experimental | Receiving the imagination exercise first and the VR exercise second Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Reality chairwork exercise; Behavioral: Imagination exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about schema modes
VAS questions on schema modes (Momentary Schema Modes Questionnaire [MSMQ])
Measured: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about affect
VAS questions on positive and negative affect that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.
Measured: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions Self-Compassion and self-Criticism Scales (SCCS)
VAS questions on self-criticism and self-compassion (Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism Scales [SCCS])
Measured: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about self-esteem.
VAS questions on self-esteem that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.
Measured: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on therapeutic relationship
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on therapeutic relationship (Session Rating Scale [SRS])
Measured: Mid- and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on immersion
VAS questions on the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ)
Measured: Mid- and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Subjective experiences with both exercises
Qualitative interview consisting of open-ended questions to explore experiences and compare their experiences with both exercises, as well as close-ended evaluation questions in a questionnaire.
Measured: Post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Sep 2025
- Study start29 Jan 2026
- Primary completion1 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy ParticipantsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Medical Center GroningenThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- The study will use a counterbalanced within-subjects crossover design, where all participants perform an assessment and then first perform one exercise (either VR or imagination), then do an assessment, following, the other exercise (either VR or imagination), next, another assessment and finally a qualitative interview. The order of exercises will be randomized.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Medical Center Groningen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Groningen
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07171736
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 22810
- Other IDs
- 22810
- Acronym
- VRAST
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 15 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Cleaned data will be shared via a repository after publication of the manuscript
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- VRAST: Virtual Reality Assisted Schema Therapy
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07171736
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- VRAST / 22810
- Conditions
- Healthy Participants
- Keywords
- Schema Therapy, Virtual Reality, Imagination, Mental Imagery
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Medical Center GroningenUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Groningen
- Study start
- 29 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Schema therapy helps people understand which emotional needs were not met during childhood, and how they can take care of those needs now. One important part of the therapy is the chairwork exercise, where people imagine talking to different parts of themselves (like the strict parent or the hurt child) using empty chairs. These exercises can be very helpful, but they can also be difficult for people who find it hard to imagine things in their mind.
Virtual Reality (VR) can make these exercises easier and more powerful. VR creates a 3D world that feels real, using special equipment like a headset. In this world, people can see and interact with virtual characters that represent different parts of themselves. This can make the therapy more concrete and easier to understand, especially for people who struggle with imagination.
In this study, the investigators want to compare the regular imagination-based exercise with the chairwork exercise done in Virtual Reality. Everyone who joins the study will do both versions of the exercise-one with imagination and one with VR. The order will be random. Before and after each exercise, a short assessment will be conducted to see how people feel. At the end, there will also be a short interview about their experience. The whole session will take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
The investigators want to know if people experience the VR exercise differently than the regular imagination exercise. The investigators also want to know if these differences depend on how well someone can imagine things in their mind.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The study will use a counterbalanced within-subjects crossover design, where all participants perform an assessment and then first perform one exercise (either VR or imagination), then do an assessment, following, the other exercise (either VR or imagination), next, another assessment and finally a qualitative interview. The order of exercises will be randomized.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| VR exercise then imagination exercise | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Reality chairwork exercise, Behavioral: Imagination exerciseReceiving the VR exercise first and the imagination exercise second |
| Imaginations exercise then VR exercise | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Reality chairwork exercise, Behavioral: Imagination exerciseReceiving the imagination exercise first and the VR exercise second |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Undergraduate student
- 16 years or older
- A score of ≥ 3 on (at least) one of the schema modes (Demanding Parent, Punitive Parent, and/or Vulnerable Child)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Insufficient command of the Dutch Language
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality chairwork exerciseA chairwork exercise from schema therapy, executed in Virtual Reality | Behavioural | Imaginations exercise then VR exercise, VR exercise then imagination exercise |
| Imagination exerciseA regular schema therapy imagination exercise | Behavioural | Imaginations exercise then VR exercise, VR exercise then imagination exercise |
Primary outcome
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about schema modes
Time frame: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
VAS questions on schema modes (Momentary Schema Modes Questionnaire [MSMQ])
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about affect
Time frame: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
VAS questions on positive and negative affect that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions Self-Compassion and self-Criticism Scales (SCCS)
Time frame: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
VAS questions on self-criticism and self-compassion (Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism Scales [SCCS])
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about self-esteem.
Time frame: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
VAS questions on self-esteem that were derived from ESM studies and previous VR studies.
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on therapeutic relationship
Time frame: Mid- and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on therapeutic relationship (Session Rating Scale [SRS])
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions on immersion
Time frame: Mid- and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
VAS questions on the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ)
1 secondary outcome
Subjective experiences with both exercises
Time frame: Post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Cleaned data will be shared via a repository after publication of the manuscript
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Reality chairwork exercise and Imagination exercise in people with Healthy Participants, run by University Medical Center Groningen at 1 site in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questions about schema modes (time frame: Pre-, mid-, and post-assessment (within timeframe of 1.5 hours)). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 May 2026.