Effects of Mindfulness Meditation in Virtual Reality on Craving and Smoking Cessation

Investigators seek to propose a non-drug therapeutic alternative, namely a mindfulness meditation protocol based on virtual reality training in order to induce progressive modifications of various indicators of craving.

The study hypothesis is that the practice of mindfulness meditation in a virtual reality environment reduces the craving induced by cues and stress and therefore ultimately smoking relapse.

The main objective of the protocol will be to demonstrate that mindfulness meditation can reduce long-term relapse (continuous cessation (> 30 days) of smoking cessation).

The participants will be randomized into two groups: the experimental group will perform six virtual reality sessions in a multisensory cabin at the rate of one session per week; the control group will be prescribed the gold standard treatment (nicotine patches and chewing gum).

Participants will be seen again at three and six months to assess whether or not there has been a smoking relapse.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Tobacco Use Disorder Chemically-Induced Disorders Disease Attributes Mental Disorders Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Recurrence Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Cabinet Médical, Iteuil, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Any patient consuming 10 to 40 cigarettes per day
Woman or man aged 18 to 75 inclusive
Substance use disorder according to the DSM5 classification
Benefit from social security or benefit from it through a third party in accordance with French law on research involving the human person
Having signed the informed consent form after having received written information.

Exclusion criteria

Disabling cognitive disorders
Patient under 18 or over 75 years old.
Patient with a psychological disorder or a psychiatric pathology requiring specialized follow-up
Patient with addiction to another product.
Cardiological pathologies that could compromise the participation of patients, detected by an ECG (only for patients who will be randomized in the experimental group).
Advanced pulmonary, renal, and hepatic diseases, or any unstable and serious medical conditions that could compromise the patient's participation in the study, subject to the judgment of the doctor
Pregnant or breastfeeding woman
Simultaneous participation in another trial
Employee of the investigator or of the clinical trial site
Patients protected by law
Patients who do not speak the French language
People not covered by state health insurance
Patients who in the opinion of the investigator are unable to complete the questionnaires
Patient claustrophobic or anxious about using the cabin
Patient allergic to a molecule present in nicotine substitutes

Treatment and study plan

Virtual reality pod

Other

The first two sessions provide guided training in relaxation and mindfulness through immersion in a virtual forest environment for the first session, and in a virtual beach environment for the second. Sessions 3 and 4 present environments with addiction-related stimuli (Cues). The session 3 consists of a walk through the virtual street environment, buying a bottle of water from the store, and then ordering a coffee from a virtual bar. The session 4 takes place in a virtual party environment in an apartment: people smoke and drink alcohol in the living room, the session consists of sitting with them, then going to the kitchen to get a water bottle. Sessions 5 and 6 present stressful environments. Session 5 consists of a virtual parachute jump. The 6th session takes place in a virtual airplane environment, which will encounter turbulence.

nicotine patches and chewing gum

Other

Participants in this group will be prescribed a Gold Standard smoking cessation treatment with nicotine patches adapted to their consumption and 4mg nicotine chewing gum for a period of 3 months.

Primary outcomes

Relapse at 3 months

Time frame: 3 months

Relapse of patients by declaring their consumption at 3 months.
Relapse at 6 months

Time frame: 6 months

Relapse of patients by declaring their consumption at 6 months.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Nematollah JAAFARI

CONTACT

[email protected]

+33 5 16 52 61 18

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit

Other

Registry information

Acronym: VIREAMIND

Important dates

Study start: 2023
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Mar 13, 2023
Registry last updated: Jan 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Recruiting