VR

Wearing a headset and using a joystick, Cynthia Schroeder appears to be playing a video game, but what the retired, stay-at-home mom is really doing is taking part in a Virtual Reality (VR) program designed to help her with stress and anxiety.

In the past, she says she’s talked with her physician about treatment but was hesitant to try medication.

“I just exercise now and try to do things natural,” Schroeder said.

But natural methods aren’t always enough to keep Schroeder’s stress at bay. That’s why she was ecstatic to be one of about two dozen invited to take part in a VR pilot through Florida Blue, GuideWell’s health insurance subsidiary.