{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T17:01:55Z","timestamp":1769533315990,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]],"date-time":"2025-11-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762992000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a remarkably promising treatment for substance use disorders and for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in particular. Research supporting psychedelics as a safe and effective pharmacotherapy for AUD and its comorbid psychiatric conditions dates from the late1940s and includes over 2,000 published studies. There are, however, challenges to the clinical implementation of psychedelics on a scale appropriate to a highly prevalent disease. Virtual reality applications can aid in meeting these challenges. Studies have shown that virtual reality simulations of psychedelic phenomenology (VRP) can replicate neurophysiological and behavioral markers of classic serotonergic psychedelics when viewed by healthy subjects. The results of these studies suggest VRP may have utility as an adjunct to or replacement for aspects of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Here, we introduce four potential clinical applications for VRP in psychedelic-assisted therapy: to prepare for psychedelics, to extend and enhance their efficacy, to facilitate integration following psychedelic dosing, and to standardize the set and setting. VRP may also have application to clinical research in psychedelics as a placebo and as a tool for interrogating the subjective experience of psychedelics in the therapeutic setting. Integrating virtual reality into psychedelic therapy and research holds the promise of new possibilities for psychedelic treatment and new pathways to their implementation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1448043","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]],"date-time":"2025-11-13T06:30:54Z","timestamp":1763015454000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Virtual reality and psychedelics: new perspectives and new possibilities in the treatment of alcohol use disorder"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Scott","family":"Matthews","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonino","family":"Greco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Clara","family":"Rastelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anahita","family":"Bassir Nia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","unstructured":"Alcohol facts and statistics\n          \n          2024"},{"key":"B2","volume-title":"MMWR Alcohol use deaths.pdf","author":"Esser MB","year":"2024"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-023-01083-1","article-title":"Alcohol-induced mortality in the USA: trends from 1999 to 2020","volume":"6","author":"Maleki","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Ment Health Addict"},{"key":"B4","unstructured":"Prevalence of past-year alcohol use treatment\n          \n          \n          Bethesda, Maryland, USA\n          National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism\n          Alcohol treatment in the United States\n          \n          2024"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1038\/s41386-023-01656-7","article-title":"Psychedelic therapies reconsidered: compounds, clinical indications, and cautious optimism","volume":"49","author":"Mitchell","year":"2024","journal-title":"Neuropsychopharmacology"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1055\/a-1310-3990","article-title":"The history of psychedelics in psychiatry","volume":"54","author":"Nichols","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pharmacopsychiatry"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"994","DOI":"10.1177\/0269881112439253","article-title":"Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","volume":"26","author":"Krebs","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Psychopharmacol"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02791072.2019.1606472","article-title":"The past and future of psychedelic science: an introduction to this issue","volume":"51","author":"Doblin","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Psychoactive Drugs"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.1994.03950020009001","article-title":"Dose-response study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans. I. Neuroendocrine, autonomic, and cardiovascular effects","volume":"51","author":"Strassman","year":"1994","journal-title":"Arch Gen Psychiatry"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.1994.03950020022002","article-title":"Dose-response study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in humans. II. Subjective effects and preliminary results of a new rating scale","volume":"51","author":"Strassman","year":"1994","journal-title":"Arch Gen Psychiatry"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0166-4328(96)00081-2","article-title":"Human psychopharmacology of N,N-dimethyltryptamine","volume":"73","author":"Strassman","year":"1996","journal-title":"Behav Brain Res"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096","article-title":"Percentage of heavy drinking days following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs placebo in the treatment of adult patients with alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial","volume":"79","author":"Bogenschutz","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0269881114565144","article-title":"Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study","volume":"29","author":"Bogenschutz","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Psychopharmacol"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20451253231198466","DOI":"10.1177\/20451253231198466","article-title":"History repeating: guidelines to address common problems in psychedelic science","volume":"13","author":"van Elk","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ther Adv Psychopharmacol"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"389","DOI":"10.1177\/0022167816673493","article-title":"Development of a psychotherapeutic model for psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcoholism","volume":"57","author":"Bogenschutz","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Humanistic Psychol"},{"key":"B16","volume-title":"Inceptionism: going deeper into neural networks","author":"Mordvintsev","year":"2015"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.1605.0930","article-title":"Synthesizing the preferred inputs for neurons in neural networks via deep generator networks","volume":"29","author":"Nguyen","year":"2016","journal-title":"Adv Neural Inf Process Systems"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nature14539","article-title":"Deep learning","volume":"521","author":"LeCun","year":"2015","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1403112111","article-title":"Performance-optimized hierarchical models predict neural responses in higher visual cortex","volume":"111","author":"Yamins","year":"2014","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3065386","article-title":"ImageNet classification with deep convolutional neural networks","volume":"25","author":"Krizhevsky","year":"2012","journal-title":"Adv Neural Inf Process Systems"},{"key":"B21","first-page":"192","article-title":"A systematic review of deep dream","volume":"5","author":"Al-Khazraji","year":"2023","journal-title":"Iraqi J Computer Communication Control System Eng"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"15982","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-017-16316-2","article-title":"A deep-dream virtual reality platform for studying altered perceptual phenomenology","volume":"7","author":"Suzuki","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.2063-13.2013","article-title":"Broadband cortical desynchronization underlies the human psychedelic state","volume":"33","author":"Muthukumaraswamy","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"839","DOI":"10.3390\/e23070839","article-title":"Increased entropic brain dynamics during deepDream-induced altered perceptual phenomenology","volume":"23","author":"Greco","year":"2021","journal-title":"Entropy (Basel)"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2014.00204","article-title":"The effects of psilocybin and MDMA on between-network resting state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers","volume":"8","author":"Roseman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2014.00020","article-title":"The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs","volume":"8","author":"Carhart-Harris","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4027","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-08047-w","article-title":"Simulated visual hallucinations in virtual reality enhance cognitive flexibility","volume":"12","author":"Rastelli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00213-019-05445-3","article-title":"Ayahuasca\u2019s \u2018afterglow\u2019: improved mindfulness and cognitive flexibility in ayahuasca drinkers","volume":"237","author":"Murphy-Beiner","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychopharmacol (Berl)"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41380-024-02439-2","article-title":"Lasting dynamic effects of the psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine ((+\/-)-DOI) on cognitive flexibility","volume":"6","author":"Sabanovic","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mol Psychiatry"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroscience.2016.06.005","article-title":"The neural underpinnings of cognitive flexibility and their disruption in psychotic illness","volume":"345","author":"Waltz","year":"2017","journal-title":"Neuroscience"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41583-021-00428-w","article-title":"Cognitive and behavioural flexibility: neural mechanisms and clinical considerations","volume":"22","author":"Uddin","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat Rev Neurosci"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcbs.2019.11.004","article-title":"Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety","volume":"15","author":"Davis","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Contextual Behav Sci"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.euroneuro.2019.02.005","article-title":"Anxiety during ketamine infusions is associated with negative treatment responses in major depressive disorder","volume":"29","author":"Aust","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur Neuropsychopharmacol"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3097","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-53363-y","article-title":"Effects of DMT on mental health outcomes in healthy volunteers","volume":"14","author":"Timmermann","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acsptsci.0c00194","article-title":"The subjective effects of psychedelics are necessary for their enduring therapeutic effects","volume":"4","author":"Yaden","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S096318012200007X","article-title":"Ethical issues regarding nonsubjective psychedelics as standard of care","volume":"31","author":"Yaden","year":"2022","journal-title":"Camb Q Healthc Ethics"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.biochem.1c00812","article-title":"Biochemical mechanisms underlying psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity","volume":"61","author":"Olson","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biochemistry"},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2018.00132","article-title":"The psychedelic debriefing in alcohol dependence treatment: illustrating key change phenomena through qualitative content analysis of clinical sessions","volume":"9","author":"Nielson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front Pharmacol"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2018.00100","article-title":"Clinical interpretations of patient experience in a trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder","volume":"9","author":"Bogenschutz","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front Pharmacol"},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/19585969.2025.2499459","article-title":"Cyberdelics: virtual reality hallucinations modulate cognitive-affective processes","volume":"27","author":"Brizzi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Dialogues Clin Neurosci"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s43588-024-00746-w","article-title":"A spatiotemporal style transfer algorithm for dynamic visual stimulus generation","volume":"5","author":"Greco","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nat Comput Sci"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103808","DOI":"10.1016\/j.concog.2025.103808","article-title":"Immersive exposure to simulated visual hallucinations modulates high-level human cognition","volume":"128","author":"Greco","year":"2025","journal-title":"Conscious Cogn"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1448043\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]],"date-time":"2025-11-13T06:30:58Z","timestamp":1763015458000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1448043\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]]},"references-count":42,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1448043"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1448043","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-0640"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-0640","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,13]]},"article-number":"1448043"}}