Hana Ćatić
Supervisor(s): Bojan Mijatović
Sarajevo School of Science and Technology
Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) has the potential to serve as a tool when it comes to treating mental health. The immersion and interactivity it offers can be beneficial to calming anxiety symptoms from the comfort of one’s home. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges people face globally. A common way of dealing with anxiety is stimulation of the nervous system. It can be done through calming visuals and sounds, physical activity, redirecting focus, and breathing exercises. The aim of this project is to design an immersive and calming VR experience for the purpose of educating on what kinds of activities can decrease symptoms of anxiety and calm panic attacks. The application was developed using Unity 6.3 game engine and focuses on three aspects of emotional regulation, each explored through a dedicated exercise. These include a guided breathing exercise, light physical activity and a shape tracing exercise involving slow and controlled hand movements. Each of these exercises is accompanied by calming visuals and audio, which serve as additional calming stimuli, as well as deepen the sense of immersion. A limited user study is conducted to evaluate usability and user experience. This project is intended as a foundational prototype for a functional VR application which demonstrates techniques of anxiety reduction and nervous system regulation. It is primarily intended for educational purposes and serves as a foundation for further research, testing and future improvements.
Keywords: VR
Full text: Year: 2026
