A pioneering global project led by CiTIUS will explore the therapeutic use of virtual reality to ease death-related anxiety 

A new research project from CiTIUS, a center belonging to the CIGUS Network — an initiative promoted by the Xunta de Galicia that brings together system centers accredited for their scientific excellence — will delve into the study of matter as ‘energetic essence’ to help people with terminal illnesses and their loved ones to face the final stage of life, The aim of the project is to alleviate the pain and anxiety caused by the proximity of death. 

This will be achieved through Virtual Reality (VR); a cross-disciplinary research field deeply familiar to David Glowacki, a Doctor in Quantum Mechanics who explores the various possibilities of this technology from Santiago de Compostela (Spain) alongside his research group at the Intangible Realities Laboratory (IRL). Glowacki, who joined the USC research center in 2022 through the Oportunius talent recruitment program of the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN – Xunta de Galicia), also leads the ‘NanoVR’ project, currently under development and funded with nearly 2 million euros by the European Research Council (ERC)  

The scientist, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, described the launch of the new project as ‘cutting-edge research’. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a project with potential global impact rooted right here in Santiago de Compostela, as this city has a reputation as a place of spiritual contemplation.” “It is very poetic,” he continues, “that this new project, which seeks to use technology to help us contemplate our own mortality in a constructive way, has its origin here. I look forward to seeing what emerges from this work,” says David Glowacki.

The new scientific challenge is named NUMADELIC (‘Experiences to improve mental health outcomes in patients with life-threatening illnesses’), and it is supported by the American foundation Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, which has allocated a budget of over $900,000 for the next three years. This ambitious initiative will apply virtual reality technologies to recreate near-death experiences or NDEs, with the aim of reducing anxiety and promote emotional well-being in terminal patients and their loved ones.