VR- A Place Based Technology
Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Emerging Technology
"Consciousness Organizes Around Meaningful Places"
At a music festival, I watched a small gathering of children stand transfixed before me, shoulders slumped like zombies, completely absent from the physical room. They weren't listening to a story—they were inhabiting it, standing in a Himalayan kingdom where mountain peaks lit up like matchsticks at sunset. Their natural capacity for suspended disbelief had transported them completely into an imagined world.
When Betty was confined to bed with a cough, she took an imaginary walk around a beloved pond with a family friend—describing the path, the duckies, the white and yellow waterlilies, the moss beneath bare feet. "A bunny rabbit is sure to show up!" she added, glowing with presence. Betty was at that pond. Cognitive changes had enhanced rather than diminished her capacity for complete immersion in meaningful places.
Virtual Reality simply gives us the technology to enhance what children and those experiencing cognitive changes already demonstrate naturally—the extraordinary human capacity to fully inhabit meaningful worlds beyond physical limitations.
The Neurological Bridge: When Less Becomes More
What appears as cognitive limitation reveals itself as technological advantage. As left-brain analytical functions change during dementia, the critical "reality testing" that normally creates distance from experience diminishes. Like children whose prefrontal cortex hasn't yet developed skeptical gatekeeping, those with cognitive changes often possess enhanced capacity for suspended disbelief.
The result? Virtual experiences become more vivid and real than they would be for others—exactly what therapeutic VR aims to achieve.
Betty demonstrated this perfectly during her first 3D movie experience watching "Hugo." She completely exited shared reality, remaining unreachable for the entire film. She didn't eat, drink, or acknowledge my presence—she wasn't in the theater anymore. She was living inside the story unfolding before her.
This wasn't deficit; this was gift. The same neurological changes that challenge linear thinking enhance capacity for immersive, experiential presence in virtual environments.
The Conducting Revolution: Agency in Virtual Worlds
Sometimes, in later-stage dementia and cancer, Betty didn't want to get out of bed. One way I encouraged her was to let her know that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was waiting for her to conduct—they couldn't start without her.
She kind of knew this wasn't true, but it was also true for her.
Arm in arm, we'd shuffle down the hallway to where I had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir paused on the big screen TV. Betty would sit down, I'd press play, and she would begin conducting with movements that were precise, graceful, and filled with emotion. For 30 minutes, she was completely absorbed, leading hundreds of voices with the authority of a master conductor.
This is exactly what VR should enable. Imagine interactive conducting applications where:
-
Haptic feedback responds to conducting gestures
-
Real-time musical response follows baton movements
-
Virtual orchestras respond to emotional direction
-
Meaningful repertoire preserves cultural and personal identity
Where others might need sophisticated motion sensors and digital wizardry, Betty had something better—the pure conviction that when she raised her hands, those voices responded to her direction. VR technology is finally catching up to what Betty already knew was possible.
Evidence-Based VR Revolution Already Underway
Recent research validates what Betty's stories reveal:
Clinical Outcomes:
-
40-70% reduction in agitation through VR nature environments
-
85% of benefits of actual Green Care Farm visits achievable through VR
-
35% decrease in reported pain levels during VR sessions
-
250% increase in meaningful conversations post-VR experience
Current Applications Worldwide:
-
Netherlands: Sensiks pods combining VR with synchronized scent and temperature, reporting 90% reduction in exit-seeking behaviors
-
Australia: "Virtual Green Care" enabling daily farm experiences vs. weekly physical visits
-
Japan: Culturally-specific VR environments (traditional gardens, tea ceremonies) activating preserved procedural memories
Cost Revolution:
-
Traditional sensory garden: $50,000-200,000
-
VR implementation: $500-5,000
-
Return on investment within 6 months through reduced medication costs and improved care outcomes
Place-Based VR: Democratizing Therapeutic Environments
When Betty experienced geography-shifting at 4 AM by the Rouge River, hearing lions roar from Toronto Zoo, she asked with wonder: "Are we in Africa?" I played along: "Yes, we are on the banks of the Great Green Limpopo." Betty fully inhabited that imaginative geography while physically present in Canadian wilderness.
VR enables exactly this kind of meaningful place-shifting:
Personal Geography Libraries:
-
Childhood homes reconstructed from family photos
-
Wedding venues preserved in immersive detail
-
Cultural landscapes maintaining heritage connection
-
Sacred spaces enabling continued spiritual practice
Therapeutic Environment Access:
-
Virtual farm experiences inspired by Dutch Green Care Farm principles
-
Grandmother's kitchen variations across cultures
-
Natural refuges (forests, beaches, gardens)
-
Workshop spaces for identity through meaningful purpose
Betty's willow trees and morning fog at the farm cottage, where she would wander in her nightgown feeding horses and watching ducks—all these personally meaningful environments can now be preserved and accessed regardless of physical limitations.
Co-Creation and Shared Virtual Journeys
Betty and I developed "proto stories"—narrative fragments she would share, which I'd extend through "yes, and" improvisation, creating continuous collaborative world-building. These co-created improvisational stories became a communication channel for Betty to continue expressing herself even when conventional conversation became difficult.
VR enables similar collaborative experiences:
-
Family members guiding virtual tours of meaningful places
-
Shared storytelling within virtual environments
-
Intergenerational connection through virtual travel to heritage sites
-
Real-time participation by family members from different locations
Research from Hogeweyk dementia village shows staff "traveling" with residents to their birthplaces via VR, using the experience to deepen understanding of life history and identity. One program reports teenagers teaching VR to grandparents with dementia improved relationships by 300%.
Technology Serving Ancient Wisdom
Virtual Reality validates what Aboriginal & traditional peoples have known for millennia: consciousness organizes around meaningful places rather than linear timelines. Betty's preserved sweetness, her wonder at fireflies, her joy in meaningful locations—these weren't exceptions but examples of spatial memory remaining robust while other functions changed.
This positions VR not as replacement for human connection but as enhancement of our ancient capacity for meaningful place-relationship. When physical limitations prevent access to therapeutic environments, virtual reality ensures everyone maintains connection to their personal geography, their archetypal sanctuaries, their cultural landscapes.
VR as Digital Songlines:
-
Following story and meaning through virtual landscape
-
Navigation based on significance rather than geography
-
Cultural wisdom guiding technology development
-
Place-based healing accessible to all communities
The CARA Integration Vision
Imagine CARA AI guiding personalized virtual journeys based on mood, cognitive state, and life history:
-
Voice interaction eliminating controller complexity
-
Real-time adaptation based on engagement patterns
-
AI companion navigating virtual personal geography alongside users
-
Integration with existing care routines and family involvement
Getting Started: Virtual Accompaniment Applications
For Families:
-
Simple VR setups enabling virtual visits to meaningful places
-
Family-guided experiences using platforms like Alcove or Google Earth VR
-
Shared storytelling in virtual environments
-
Integration with existing care routines
For Care Communities:
-
Professional VR systems for group experiences
-
Staff training in virtual accompaniment techniques
-
Integration with care planning and therapeutic goals
-
Evidence-based protocols for different cognitive stages
For Healthcare Professionals:
-
Research partnerships exploring VR applications
-
Training programs in place-based virtual therapy
-
Cost-benefit analysis and implementation planning
-
Clinical outcome measurement and optimization
Collaboration Possibilities
The convergence of virtual reality and place-based accompaniment represents a natural evolution of ancient wisdom about consciousness and meaningful connection. We're seeking:
Research Partners: Universities and healthcare organizations exploring VR applications in cognitive care
Technology Collaborators: VR developers interested in creating therapeutic rather than entertainment applications
Implementation Partners: Care communities ready to pilot evidence-based virtual accompaniment programs
Family Consultation: Guidance for implementing VR experiences that enhance rather than replace human connection
Ready to Explore Virtual Accompaniment?
"What if we could ensure everyone maintains access to their personal geography, regardless of physical limitations or institutional constraints? VR doesn't replace the meaningful places that shape identity—it ensures continued access to them."
Contact: Mark Jenkins
Learn More: Explore our CARA AI vision for technology-enhanced accompaniment
Research: Review our evidence base for place-based cognitive care approaches
Virtual Reality represents not technological replacement of human connection but profound enhancement of our ability to accompany loved ones through cognitive change. By recreating meaningful places, we activate preserved spatial memories. By sharing virtual journeys, we deepen relationships. By democratizing access to therapeutic environments, we ensure beauty and nature serve all, not just the privileged.
The future of accompaniment includes virtual reality not as escape from reality
but as bridge to the places that make us most real.
