In this seminar, Dr. Farah Shiraz will present HEKA VR’s innovative approach to mental health treatment through Virtual Reality-based Avatar Therapy. This pioneering software enables patients to externalize distressing auditory hallucinations by transforming them into digital avatars, thereby fostering a unique therapeutic engagement. Developed for the treatment of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, the efficacy of this VR-based intervention was recently validated in the largest 1randomized controlled trial (RCT) of its kind, led by the VIRTU Research Group in Copenhagen. The trial’s findings, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, demonstrated a significant reduction in auditory hallucinations compared to the treatment-as-usual group. Remarkably, 11 patients, who had been living with auditory hallucinations for an average of 16 years, became completely voice-free after just seven sessions of Avatar Therapy.
Dr. Shiraz will provide live demonstrations of the software and share more insight into the results of the RCT. Additionally, the seminar will explore the integral role of HEKA VR’s lived experience ambassadors, individuals with personal experience in mental health, who have been actively involved in the software’s development. Finally, the presentation will discuss how VR can offer scalable and accessible solutions for mental health care, with the potential for worldwide implementation.
References:
Smith, LC ∙ Vernal, DL ∙ Mariegaard, LS ∙ et al. Immersive virtual reality-assisted therapy targeting persistent auditory verbal hallucinations in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in Denmark: the Challenge assessor-masked, randomised clinical trial Lancet Psychiatry. 2025; published online July 2 Reference Link
Farah Shiraz is the Chief Scientific Officer at HEKA VR, a spin-out company from Khora VR, both based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since joining Khora in 2021, Farah has been at the forefront of driving the scientific strategy and global recognition of HEKA VR's innovative software. With a strong academic foundation in psychology and global mental health, she previously worked as an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), leading research on global mental health. Earlier in her career, Farah worked as a psychologist, directly supporting patients suffering from severe mental health conditions. This experience has given her a deep understanding of the challenges and limitations of the solutions currently available for these groups of patients.
Farah is passionate about the importance of including the patient voice in innovation, believing that patient perspectives are essential in shaping effective and relevant solutions for mental health care. She brings a unique combination of clinical, academic, and MedTech expertise to her role, consistently focusing on projects that innovate and help patients.
Her belief is simple: True innovation in mental health begins when we listen to the people it affects the most.
Moderators
Margot Paul, Psy.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor; Co-Director, Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology (VRIT) Program, Stanford Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Assistant Professor; Co-Director, Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology (VRIT) Program, Stanford Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Margot Paul is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she co-directs the Virtual Reality-Immersive Technology Clinic & Laboratory. She earned her Psy.D. from the PGSP-Stanford Consortium and completed her internship at the Sepulveda VA, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford. Dr. Paul researches how virtual reality can enhance evidence-based mental health treatments, such as behavioral activation for depression, and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She has collaborated with VR companies and startups and has published on her work.
