Virtual Safe Spaces: AR Technology for Trauma-Focused Therapy

Trauma Therapy's Grounding Challenge

Trauma-focused therapies—EMDR, somatic experiencing, trauma-focused CBT—all require clients to establish safe spaces for grounding during distress. Traditional approaches rely on imagination and guided imagery, but traumatized clients often struggle significantly with visualization. Hypervigilance and dissociation, core trauma symptoms, interfere with the imagination work required for creating mental safe spaces. This creates a therapeutic paradox: the clients who most need grounding skills face the greatest difficulty developing them through conventional methods.

Why AR Rather Than VR for Trauma Work

Augmented reality provides critical advantages over virtual reality for trauma therapy. AR overlays calming scenes and grounding objects onto the physical therapy room while clients maintain visual connection with their therapist and awareness of their surroundings. This differs fundamentally from VR, which fully immerses clients and can feel isolating—potentially triggering for trauma survivors. AR enables clients to experience calming elements while staying grounded in present reality, essential for trauma treatment. The technology supports rather than replaces the therapeutic relationship.

Trauma-Specific Applications

AR safe spaces serve specific needs within trauma-focused therapies:

• EMDR Grounding: AR safe space remains visible during memory processing, providing stability
• Affect Regulation: Teaching emotional regulation skills with visual AR support
• Dissociation Management: AR helps clients stay present while regulating overwhelming affect
• Between-Session Crisis Management: Clients access personalized AR safe space during flashbacks or panic
• Stabilization Phase Work: Building internal resources before trauma processing begins

Clinical Protocols and Integration

Effective AR safe space implementation requires collaborative design—clients choose elements ensuring perceived safety rather than therapists imposing environments. Introduce AR gradually through titration, preventing overwhelm in clients who may be sensitive to technology or new experiences. Integrate with standard trauma treatment phases appropriately: AR safe spaces support stabilization and integration work but should not be used during active trauma processing. Some protocols combine AR with bilateral stimulation in EMDR, though this requires specialized training. Client control over AR elements remains essential—they must be able to adjust or remove elements preventing any sense of re-traumatization.

Implementation Considerations

Several trauma-specific factors guide successful implementation. Some trauma survivors experience technology as triggering; assess carefully before introducing AR. AR serves as adjunct to comprehensive trauma treatment, never as standalone intervention. Begin with stabilization phase clients rather than those in acute crisis. Use standardized trauma scales to measure outcomes objectively. Most importantly, ensure clients can access their safe space without technology—AR teaches skills they internalize and carry forward. The goal is technology-assisted skill development leading to independent capacity. Dagger Interactive helps trauma therapists implement AR safe space technology that respects trauma treatment principles while enhancing therapeutic outcomes for clients who struggle with traditional imagery work.