TECHNOLOGY

The science behind
VR Neuropsychological Therapy

GUIDED MODELS

  • Interoceptive Awareness

    Learn to recognize and interpret internal bodily signals to reduce pain-related distress and improve self-regulation.

  • Cognitive and Emotional Reappraisal

    Develop new ways of thinking and feeling about pain that weaken its emotional grip and reduce its intensity.

  • Neuroscience-Based Exposure

    Engage with real-world or simulated pain triggers in a safe way to retrain the brain’s response and break the fear–pain cycle.

  • Memory & Future-State Reimagining

    Use autobiographical memory and future visualizations to reconnect with safe, pain-free sensations and shift focus away from suffering.

  • Behavioral Flexibility & Movement Confidence

    Rebuild trust in your body through virtual movement exercises that disarm fear of physical activity and promote functional recovery.

  • Perspective Shifting & Self-Dialogue

    Use verbal expression and third-person narration to reduce emotional reactivity and improve clarity in pain-related situations.

  • Guided Sensation Mapping

    Compare and reclassify pain sensations to rewire how your brain interprets physical signals through body-based mirroring.

  • Social Stress Repatterning

    Practice emotionally challenging social scenarios and learn strategies to reduce their impact on your pain experience.

VRNT is the scientifically grounded core of CognifiSense’s solution for chronic pain. It combines immersive VR with proven psychological and physical therapeutic techniques to help rewire how the brain perceives pain. VRNT is designed to be accessible and non-invasive, delivering an engaging treatment that patients can use in the comfort of their home while under clinical guidance.


VRNT recreates therapeutic exercises in a virtual world. Patients wear a VR headset and see a personalized avatar – a virtual representation of their body. Through this avatar, they participate in guided modules that address different aspects of pain. 


Throughout each module, VRNT provides real-time feedback. The system tracks the user’s interactions and progress, allowing each session to adapt to the individual’s needs. The avatar-based self-representation is key – patients see “themselves” in VR, which engages the brain’s body maps and promotes neuroplastic changes. By regularly practicing these modules, over time the brain learns new, healthier patterns – essentially training away the persistent pain response.

What is VRNT?

Virtual Reality Neuroscience-based Therapy (VRNT) is the scientifically grounded core of CognifiSense’s approach to chronic pain. VRNT is not just another mindfulness app or digital CBT program—it is a targeted, immersive therapy developed to directly address central nervous system mechanisms that sustain chronic pain. Patients wear a VR headset and engage with a personalized avatar—a 3D representation of their body that includes a visual "drawing" of their pain. Through structured modules, they learn to reinterpret sensations, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and safely confront pain-related fears, all from their home under clinical guidance.

How VRNT Works in the Brain

Chronic pain isn’t just a problem in the muscles or joints—it’s a rewiring of how the brain processes threat and sensation. In conditions like chronic low back pain, the nervous system becomes hyper-responsive, amplifying pain signals and generating pain even when no tissue damage exists. VRNT targets this central sensitization by providing immersive, brain-based retraining. Modules are carefully designed to activate the same neural pathways involved in pain—but in new, controlled contexts that reduce threat and reestablish safety. This process of “retraining the brain” is grounded in the principle of neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change through experience.

The Science & Evidence Behind VRNT

VRNT has been clinically tested in randomized trials and is FDA-cleared for chronic low back pain. In a Phase I proof-of-concept study funded by the NIH, VRNT produced large reductions in both pain intensity and interference—with up to 60% of users achieving meaningful relief. These improvements were linked to measurable changes in brain function. Unlike other digital therapies that repurpose existing behavioral treatments, VRNT was built specifically to address central drivers of chronic pain using experiential learning, pain neuroscience principles, and embodied self-representation in VR. This novel approach enables more than symptom distraction—it helps reverse the brain patterns maintaining chronic pain.

No breakthrough is complete without scientific validation. VRNT isn't just an innovation – it’s a therapy built on real clinical evidence. Through rigorous trials and real-world studies, we are proving how immersive, home-based therapy can retrain the brain’s response to pain and help restore quality of life. Our commitment to research ensures that our approach to VRNT and therapy programming are not only safe and accessible but truly effective.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Built on evidence,
designed for healing

87 +
patients participated in our clinical trials across 12 states in the USA, ranging from ages 26-73
90 %
of patients found VRNT therapy easy to use at home, even without prior VR experience
85 %
of patients said they would recommend VRNT to other patients managing chronic pain
72 %
of patients experienced improved daily function and greater ease of movement after completion

Starting in May 2025

Remote Chronic Back Pain Research Study

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are conducting a study on Virtual Reality Neuroscience-based Therapy (VRNT) for individuals with chronic lower back pain.

Individuals ages 18-85 experiencing moderate to severe chronic lower back pain for 6+ months

Participation process details

Compensation up to $132

Participate in our
current clinical trial

This study aims to test whether a new VR therapy can reduce pain and improve function in people with chronic lower back pain over an 8-week period, with lasting effects assessed 6 months later.


This study is a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and CognifiSense, Inc., a company developing VR technology for pain management. The research is focused on testing the clinical efficacy and durability of a VR-based therapy called Virtual Reality Neuroscience-based Therapy (VRNT). The therapy combines principles from various psychological therapies aimed at reducing pain and improving function.


Participants will undergo the therapy over an 8-week period, with assessments conducted during and after the therapy to determine the effectiveness and lasting benefits. The study is entirely remote, allowing participants to complete all sessions from the comfort of their homes.