Virtual Reality-Based Musical Therapy for Mental Health Management

In recent years, anxiety and stress-related disorders have become increasingly common psychological occurrences. With the fast-paced tempo of today's world, people too often neglect their physical and mental health, reducing their quality of life in the process. Therefore, the treatment of these issues effectively and reliably is an urgent matter. As a treatment technique, music was explored as it is known to create a harmonious and peaceful state for the mind and body. This paper proposes a Virtual Reality system, with the goal of reducing anxiety and stress, using music therapy that we have called Virtual Harmony. The system allows a user to listen to music and play different instruments in a 3D environment with real-world panoramic video as background scenes. We later examine whether the system would be beneficial to reduce stress and anxiety. The results show that participants enjoyed the music therapy system, felt more relaxed, and reported a notable reduction in stress.