A Study on the Effects of Bilateral Eye Movement in VR-Based EMDR on Depression Reduction: A Comparative Analysis of Beta Waves Using Monitor and HMD

This study was conducted to explore the potential of a novel approach to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy using virtual reality (VR), which is traditionally administered via monitors. To test this, the depression level of students at G University, located in Gyeonggi Province, was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Sixteen participants with CES-D scores of 25 or higher, indicating severe depression (internal consistency = .71), were included in the experiment. They participated in EMDR therapy sessions conducted using both monitors and VR. During the experiment, EEG equipment was used to observe beta wave changes in the right hemisphere. The data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests with SPSS 27. The results showed that EMDR therapy using a VR HMD (M=4.67) had lower beta wave scores compared to traditional monitor-based EMDR therapy (M=5.60), confirming the new potential of VR-based EMDR therapy.