Reducing stress with virtual reality and binaural beats in adults
Decreasing Stress Via Virtual Reality and Binaural Beats in Non-Clinical Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study.
This study tests whether short sessions of natural soundscapes, virtual reality nature scenes, and binaural beats can help lower stress in healthy adults.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 52 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Heart and Brain Research Group, Germany Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Bad Nauheim) |
| Trial ID | NCT07387107 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This non-clinical substudy enrolls healthy adults and randomly assigns them to one of five conditions: natural soundscapes, natural soundscapes plus binaural beats, virtual-reality nature, virtual-reality plus binaural beats, or a no-intervention control. Each participant completes a single approximately 30-minute intervention within a roughly 60-minute visit while physiological measures (heart rate variability, electrodermal activity) and self-report stress/relaxation questionnaires are collected. Random assignment and the non-clinical setting are used to isolate the effects of audio and VR elements from disease-, perioperative-, or medication-related confounders. The goal is to test feasibility and short-term stress-reducing effects and to provide a reference dataset to help interpret findings from the main clinical DESTRESS trial.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults (18+) who understand German, can give informed consent, have no relevant neurological or psychiatric conditions, and can attend a single in-person session at the study site.
Not a fit: People with current or past neurological or major psychiatric disorders, severe visual or hearing impairments, or a history of adverse reactions to virtual reality are unlikely to be eligible and may not benefit from the interventions tested here.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these brief, noninvasive relaxation techniques could offer an easy way for healthy adults to reduce physiological and subjective stress.
How similar studies have performed: Prior small studies of virtual reality or binaural beats have shown promising but mixed short-term reductions in stress and related physiological markers, so the approach has some supportive but not definitive evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1\. Adults aged 18 years or older 2. Ability to understand study procedures and provide written informed consent 3. Sufficient proficiency in the German language to complete questionnaires and follow study instructions 4. Willingness to participate in a single approximately 60-minute study session Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Current or history of neurological or psychiatric disorders that may interfere with data collection (e.g., dementia, major depressive disorder, stroke, epilepsy) 2. Severe visual or hearing impairments that would limit the use of virtual reality equipment or headphones 3. History of adverse reactions to virtual reality
Where this trial is running
Bad Nauheim
- Kerckhoff-Clinic — Bad Nauheim, Germany (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Marius Butz, PhD, M.Sc. — Heart&Brain Research Group, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Study coordinator: Marius Butz, PhD, M.Sc.
- Email: m.butz@kerckhoff-klinik.de
- Phone: Tel.: +49(0)6032/996 5812
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.