VR THERAPY - "PATH OF CALM"
An innovative VR therapy program that combines advanced technology, professional psychological care, and human warmth to support the rehabilitation
VR THERAPY - "PATH OF CALM"
An advanced platform uniting VR technology, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists.
An advanced platform uniting VR technology, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists.
An advanced platform uniting VR technology, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists.
VR THERAPY
"PATH OF CALM"
"PATH OF CALM"
VR Therapy is a cutting-edge initiative focused on the psychological and physical rehabilitation of people affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine. In the face of a critical shortage of qualified mental health professionals and limited access to traditional rehabilitation, especially for individuals with mobility challenges or bedridden patients, our team offers an effective, multidisciplinary approach. This approach integrates state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) technology, psychological support, and art therapy.
The project builds on the successful experience of the NGO European Institute of Chornobyl, which has been implementing VR therapy since 2022 in collaboration with eight medical and rehabilitation institutions in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine). More than 100 patients have already reported positive outcomes from VR sessions, including significant reductions in anxiety and PTSD symptoms, as well as general improvement in emotional well-being.
In the new phase of the project, we aim to scale this experience to 20 medical and social institutions across various regions of Ukraine, researchers, and medical professionals.
The plan includes:
Beyond its therapeutic benefits, the project has a strong social impact - enhancing participants’ quality of life and reducing social isolation through VR group sessions. This approach is backed by international research, which shows that VR therapy can reduce anxiety and PTSD levels by 20–35%.
In the new phase of the project, we aim to scale this experience to 20 medical and social institutions across various regions of Ukraine, researchers, and medical professionals.
The plan includes:
- Procurement of VR equipment
- Development of personalized and multi-user therapeutic programs
- Training for psychologists and rehabilitation specialists
- Deployment of trained professionals for three-month rotations in care centers
Beyond its therapeutic benefits, the project has a strong social impact - enhancing participants’ quality of life and reducing social isolation through VR group sessions. This approach is backed by international research, which shows that VR therapy can reduce anxiety and PTSD levels by 20–35%.
HOW WE START
Ukraine urgently needs modern therapeutic tools to support people affected by the war. This is especially evident in rehabilitation centers, which often lack resources and qualified staff. Many patients are unable to participate in intensive physical or psychological programs.
That is why the implementation of VR technology is not only relevant but vital.
That is why the implementation of VR technology is not only relevant but vital.
Ukrainian context
Rehabilitation in the Context of War:
In wartime Ukraine, nearly 250,000 patients require rehabilitation services each year, including both civilians and military personnel. (Liashko: Minister of Health, 2024)
Rehabilitation Funding:
In 2024, the state allocated over UAH 1.9 billion to medical institutions for the provision of rehabilitation services. (Liashko: Minister of Health, 2024)
Prosthetics:
Over 50,000 people in Ukraine are in need of prosthetics and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation centers are working to help patients return to active life.(How Rehabilitation Centers Operate)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
Up to 10 million people in Ukraine may face PTSD, according to the World Health Organization, with 3.9 million potentially developing moderate to severe forms. (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
Access to Rehabilitation Services:
Since the beginning of 2024, nearly 366,000 Ukrainians have received free rehabilitation services, reflecting the increased capacity of medical institutions. (Rehabilitation Services, Minister of Health, 2024)
Outpatient Rehabilitation Services:
Free outpatient rehabilitation is available to patients at 473 medical institutions across Ukraine. (Liashko: Minister of Health, 2024)
Worldwide context
Global Rise in PTSD and Mental Health Needs:
🌍 Since COVID-19, global anxiety and depression rates rose by over 25% (WHO, 2022). Wars in Ukraine and Gaza have further escalated the crisis, with millions exposed to trauma (WHO, 2022, The Guardian, 2024)
VR Therapy Proven Effective in Treating PTSD:
🧠 Clinical studies show VR therapy reduces PTSD symptoms by 20–35%. It also improves emotional regulation and recovery outcomes.
(Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2023)
(Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2023)
Accessible Care for Immobile Patients:
♿ VR enables access to psychological and physical rehab for bedridden or mobility-impaired individuals. Home-based VR programs reach up to 89% effectiveness compared to in-clinic rehab.
(NIH, 2022)
(NIH, 2022)
Team
Each of us brings experience, knowledge, and empathy to create innovative solutions for those in need of healing and restoration
- Mariia TintulProject CoordinatorMaria oversees the strategic direction of the VR Therapy project. With a background in business development at Startup Wise Guys (XR batch), YEP Accelerator, and WE/AR Studio, she ensures all operations run smoothly, results are tracked, and teams remain connected. Her coordination experience with innovation accelerators empowers her to manage international collaboration and tech-based mental health initiatives with precision.
- Valeriy KorshunovProject ProducerValeriy combines his expertise as a curator, VR director, and head of the European Institute of Chornobyl to shape the project’s concept and impact. After launching Help Chornobyl and leading global media campaigns, he shifted focus to immersive therapy. His work bridges creative storytelling with biosensor-based recovery tools, making him a key figure in merging VR, culture, and humanitarian innovation.
- Yevhen NasadyukVR Therapy Implementation ManagerYevhen is an expert in immersive rehabilitation. He brings his experience as a VR creator and documentary filmmaker into medical innovation. Since 2022, he has trained rehabilitation staff and implemented VR therapy in 8 hospitals across Ukraine, helping victims of war recover mobility and emotional balance using tailored VR tools and 360° environments.
- Yevhen SytnykTechnical DirectorYevhen leads the development of the VR therapy platform with a strong foundation in AI, fintech, and scalable IT systems. He specializes in building high-performance teams and implementing cutting-edge technologies. His strategic oversight ensures the technical excellence and scalability of the VR solution.
- Mykola BoichenkoMindfulness LeadMykola is the head of the Ukrainian Mindfulness Trainers Association (UMTA). A psychologist and author of the Self-help and Mutual Assistance course, he bridges academic insight with accessible techniques. His role is to integrate mindfulness practices into the therapy experience, making recovery more holistic.
- Vira HruzovaMindfulness Trainer & SupervisorCo-founder of UMTA, Vira designs and delivers psychological courses in EU-funded projects. With extensive experience in mindfulness teaching and supervision, she ensures the emotional and ethical integrity of our VR therapy content, helping users reconnect with their inner stability.
approach
VR therapy provides the opportunity to form imaginary landscapes, therapeutic scenes and create a sense of realistic presence without physical exertion. When a person immerses himself in VR, he can experience certain situations in a safe format, receive support from a psychologist and at the same time learn to manage his own emotions
UNIQUENESS OF VR THERAPY
✅ Personalized Scenarios: VR sessions can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each patient.
✅ Safe Immersion: Virtual reality allows for the creation of a safe, controlled environment where a psychologist can guide patients through processing traumatic experiences.
✅ Art and Group Therapy in VR: Our project enables up to six participants to share the same VR space simultaneously with a psychologist or art therapist.
✅ Accessibility for People with Limited Mobility: VR therapy allows patients to "travel" and engage in therapeutic exercises without leaving their bed.
NEW VR HELMETS
We have developed a convenient, turnkey system for rehabilitation centers, which includes VR headsets, curated VR experiences, pre-configured software, and step-by-step instructions. During sessions, the psychologist or art therapist uses a virtual control panel to adjust scenarios in real time and monitor patients' emotional responses.
TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
🥽 Equipment: We use modern VR headsets with high resolution and simple setup.
💻 Software: Specialized VR applications developed in partnership with psychologists, supporting both individual and group sessions.
👨👨👦👦 Multi-User Format: A unique feature allowing up to six users to be present in the same virtual space.
🤝 Ongoing Support: Seamless integration into rehabilitation center workflows and comprehensive staff training.
IMPACT
According to international clinical studies, the use of VR technologies in psychotherapy can reduce PTSD symptoms by 20–35%. Our team observes similar results through collaborations with military hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT: RESEARCH FINDINGS
✅ Immersive systems (Quest, Apple Vision Pro, Varjo) are more effective than screen-based simulations.
✅ Pain relief effects can last up to 6 months after completing therapy.
✅ Optimal session duration is 30–45 minutes, 3–4 times per week.
✅ VR therapy shows the greatest effectiveness when combined with traditional physical therapy.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND OUR TEAM
The NGO European Institute of Chornobyl has been working since 2020 on social, environmental, and cultural initiatives, particularly in support of Chernobyl liquidators and veterans.
Key Achievements:
✅ Successfully implemented VR therapy in 8 rehabilitation centers across Ukraine.
✅ Developed a series of innovative VR projects showcased at international festivals.
✅ Secured grant support from multiple international organizations.
✅ Our team includes VR technology specialists, psychologists, art therapists, and rehabilitation professionals with years of experience.
Key Achievements:
✅ Successfully implemented VR therapy in 8 rehabilitation centers across Ukraine.
✅ Developed a series of innovative VR projects showcased at international festivals.
✅ Secured grant support from multiple international organizations.
✅ Our team includes VR technology specialists, psychologists, art therapists, and rehabilitation professionals with years of experience.
Organization Partners
Researches
Phantom Pain
Pain intensity reduced by 50% after 8 weeks of VR therapy
Mental Health
PTSD symptoms decreased by 32% following a VR therapy course
Burn Treatment
Pain reduced by 37% during physiotherapy sessions
Neurorehabilitation
Increase in brain neuroplasticity by 15–18%
Patient Motivation
Compliance improved by 40% compared to traditional methods
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Recovery time reduced by 30%
Gait Recovery
Balance improved by 22% in patients with lower limb injuries
Cognitive Rehabilitation
Attention span increased by 25%
Pediatric Rehabilitation
Anxiety reduced by 40% during medical procedures
Chronic Headaches
Attack intensity reduced by 33%
Neck Injuries
Pain symptoms decreased by 28%
Remote Rehabilitation
Home-based VR programs show 89% of the effectiveness of in-clinic therapy
Upper Limb Rehabilitation
Motor function improved by 20.1% after stroke
Geriatric Rehabilitation
Fall risk reduced by 25% in elderly patients
Osteoarthritis
Joint range of motion increased by 18%
Additional we are
Filming at military locations
Distribution of VR experiences
Organizing exhibitions
VR EXPERIENSES
First day
An IE about how people in Ukraine find a way to survive and resist this unexpected and unequal war for 600 days when everyone predicted only 3
Details here
Details here
Description:
First Day is a single-user, interactive, immersive project that places users directly in the immediate wartime situation, allowing them to experience firsthand the impacts of terror and disorientation as the war erupted. But not only. It challenges users to learn how to control themselves and make split-second decisions that can help save lives. Users relive how people quickly learned to survive, resist and build resilience in an unjust attack.
First Day is a journey where community, help, and empathy are primary elements to breathe and survive. Our immersive and interactive experience seeks to help others navigate crises by showing how choosing to transform inwardly from victim to helper can empower resistance and life.
First Day is a single-user, interactive, immersive project that places users directly in the immediate wartime situation, allowing them to experience firsthand the impacts of terror and disorientation as the war erupted. But not only. It challenges users to learn how to control themselves and make split-second decisions that can help save lives. Users relive how people quickly learned to survive, resist and build resilience in an unjust attack.
First Day is a journey where community, help, and empathy are primary elements to breathe and survive. Our immersive and interactive experience seeks to help others navigate crises by showing how choosing to transform inwardly from victim to helper can empower resistance and life.
First Day is intended as a prologue to subsequent virtual war stories as a testament to the power of the human spirit.
IN THE TIME OF A WAR
You will discover the stories of people whose lives were destroyed forever because of the russian military terroristic invasion to Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
500 kg air bombs were dropped on buildings in the center of Kyiv.
What hardships did they endure? What choice did they make and what did it lead to?
The VR experience will allow you to visit these places virtually with the full effect of presence, and feel the consequences of the war in the destroyed cities of Ukraine, communicating with people in the city of war crimes committed by the russian army against Ukrainian civilians.
You will discover the stories of people whose lives were destroyed forever because of the russian military terroristic invasion to Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
500 kg air bombs were dropped on buildings in the center of Kyiv.
What hardships did they endure? What choice did they make and what did it lead to?
The VR experience will allow you to visit these places virtually with the full effect of presence, and feel the consequences of the war in the destroyed cities of Ukraine, communicating with people in the city of war crimes committed by the russian army against Ukrainian civilians.
Trailer
War Effect - the series of immersive experiences
HOW IT WAS?
12 events, 6 exhibitions, 3 festivals
Presentation at Venice Biennale 2023
Support from Biennale Cinema College
Details here
Details here
Pres conference
Industry passes
Red carpet
Conference participation
Press about the First Day
Hollywood reporter
Voices of VR
Obozrevatel
the Village
Ukrinform
Homeless
Stories from frontline cities and villages of Ukraine using immersive technologies
Details here
Details here
Description:
Every day, stories about the battles for Gostomel, the evacuation under shelling from Irpin, or the massacre in Bucha remind us of a terrible dream that we want to forget. However, this is the reality we live in and must remember.
Russia's war against Ukraine began back in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. On February 24, 2022, Russian troops launched a full-scale offensive. It is currently impossible to calculate the exact number of civilian casualties.
More than 10 million Ukrainians have left their homes. Not all of them now have a place to return to.
This project shows what Ukrainian cities look like after the Russian attack: after liberation from occupation, as a result of shelling and air strikes. How cozy streets are filled with destroyed buildings, burned equipment, and burials of the dead.
Every day, stories about the battles for Gostomel, the evacuation under shelling from Irpin, or the massacre in Bucha remind us of a terrible dream that we want to forget. However, this is the reality we live in and must remember.
Russia's war against Ukraine began back in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. On February 24, 2022, Russian troops launched a full-scale offensive. It is currently impossible to calculate the exact number of civilian casualties.
More than 10 million Ukrainians have left their homes. Not all of them now have a place to return to.
This project shows what Ukrainian cities look like after the Russian attack: after liberation from occupation, as a result of shelling and air strikes. How cozy streets are filled with destroyed buildings, burned equipment, and burials of the dead.
HOW IT WAS?
7 events and 3 exhibitions
Borodyanka - Unreal Reality
XR experience about people who survived the russian occupation in a Kyiv region three years ago...
Details here
Details here
Description:
A unique documenting multi-platform XR experience that shows a destroyed city known to the whole world by russian army crimes. But behind this destroyed by russian air bombs apartments houses, shotted civilian cars with people inside, and shelled by tanks infrastructure of a whole city there are many people's lives and destinies. Stories of real people from Borodyanka, their evidence in a 360 video, and locations of a city from normal life, time of the war (virtual locations), and after deocupaton!
Aso:
3. For a social online engagement, there is one unique world of Borodyanka built-in VRCHAT where visitors at the time of a presentation event (or a festival) can go "inside remembrance" and can meet the witness of occupation at the live event.
A unique documenting multi-platform XR experience that shows a destroyed city known to the whole world by russian army crimes. But behind this destroyed by russian air bombs apartments houses, shotted civilian cars with people inside, and shelled by tanks infrastructure of a whole city there are many people's lives and destinies. Stories of real people from Borodyanka, their evidence in a 360 video, and locations of a city from normal life, time of the war (virtual locations), and after deocupaton!
Сonsist of 4 stories of real people from Borodyanka, who are witnesses of the occupation.
Also, the video shows the city of Borodyanka before the occupation and after as well shootings in "invisible drone" style.
The virtual locations of Borodyanka at the time of an occupation that I reconstruct virtually using 3d scans of real war artifacts and locations.
Aso:
1. For virtual locations of war, it was 3d scanned war artifacts and locations of a city. The viewer can go inside ruined buildings and see them above with an "invisible drone" view.
2. Part of the project is an XR exhibition in a mobile app with 15 moments of occupation of the Borodyanka with 360 portals to Borodyanka, augmented reality 3d models of war artifacts, and witness evidence.
3. For a social online engagement, there is one unique world of Borodyanka built-in VRCHAT where visitors at the time of a presentation event (or a festival) can go "inside remembrance" and can meet the witness of occupation at the live event.
Real stories of a witnesses
Invisible drone view
We are shooting a 360 video using a drone with a fully rounded 360 camera that makes an "invisible view"
Nataliia
managed to get out of the shelter, where half an hour later a 500 kg high-explosive bomb hit
Valentin
being an employee of the local museum, he survived the occupation in the city center and recorded the key dates of the battle for Borodyanka
Mariia
This method allows us to achieve success in problems of all levels.Maria remained alive, but her family was hiding in a shelter in the basement when an russian air bomb was shelled there. Maria lost her family and was left entirely alone
Galyna
She still lives in a ruined house and cooks over a fire every day
Рard-to-reach places
We filmed places that are difficult or forbidden to get into. Many of the unique shots can be seen for the first time
Gostomel VR
An immersive experience about the indomitable spirit of a small Ukrainian town that became a key arena of resistance during the russian invasion in 2022
Details here
Details here
Description:
Interactive Experience: Viewers have the opportunity to virtually visit real locations of Gostomel, both before and during the occupation, feeling the atmosphere of the city and its history.
Real Stories: The project is based on real testimonies of residents, which adds emotional depth and authenticity.
Education: Gostomel VR serves as an educational resource that allows you to understand the consequences of war and the importance of peace.
Technological Innovation: Using advanced VR technologies and scanned locations to create an immersive experience in history.
An innovative immersive project shows the world the courage and endurance of the residents of Gostomel during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Using advanced virtual reality technologies, we transport users to the heart of this story, where they witness life under occupation and the heroic battle for Gostomel.
The project recreates in detail key events in the city's history: from the destruction of the legendary Mriya aircraft (AN-225) during the crucial battle for the airport, to the daily life of its residents, both before and during the occupation.
The project uses interviews with residents of Gostomel, Mriya pilots, relatives of fallen heroes, as well as 3D scanning of locations and the creation of five virtual environments, complemented by a unique 360-degree video to create a deep emotional connection with history and demonstrations in VR helmets around the world
Interactive Experience: Viewers have the opportunity to virtually visit real locations of Gostomel, both before and during the occupation, feeling the atmosphere of the city and its history.
Real Stories: The project is based on real testimonies of residents, which adds emotional depth and authenticity.
Education: Gostomel VR serves as an educational resource that allows you to understand the consequences of war and the importance of peace.
Technological Innovation: Using advanced VR technologies and scanned locations to create an immersive experience in history.
HOW IT WAS?
6 exhibitions
🚀 Dive into the stories that must be told. Testimony, Memory, and Change.
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