# Compassionate Embodied Virtual Experience Increases the Adherence to Meditation Practice
## 4 Discussion  
The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the efficacy of a meditation supported by an embodied-VR experience to increase the quality and adherence to the practice of meditation, compassionate response to suffering of oneself and others, motivation to help others, and an altruistic response. Within this objective, two groups of healthcare professionals received a recorded \"inner-dialogue\" narrative of a person who suffers \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Variable**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**VR (\(\boldsymbol{t}\) = 21)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Audio (\(\boldsymbol{t}\) = 20)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**ANCOVA a**} & \\ \cline{2-9}  & \(\boldsymbol{M}\) & \(\boldsymbol{SD}\) & \(\boldsymbol{M}\) & \(\boldsymbol{SD}\) & \(\boldsymbol{F}\) & \(\boldsymbol{p}\) & \(\boldsymbol{\eta_{p}}^{2}\) \\ \hline Imagery Factor (CPQS) b  & 60.69 & 13.57 & 64.31 & 15.96 & \(F\) (1, 31) = 0.69 & 0.413 & 0.00 \\ Somatic Factor (CPQS) b  & 52.41 & 11.73 & 57.11 & 16.31 & \(F\) (1, 31) = 2.04 & 0.163 & 0.06 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note. ES = Emotions Scale; CPQS = Compassion Practice Quality Scale. a ANCOVAs were adjusted for frequency of at-home meditation. b CPQS average scores for the two weeks of at-home meditations.  
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Table 4: Means and standard deviations of scores on compassion practice quality. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Variables**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**VR (\(\boldsymbol{t}\) = 21)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Audio (\(\boldsymbol{t}\) = 20)**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**ANCOVA**} & \\ \cline{2-9}  & \(\boldsymbol{t}\) & \(\boldsymbol{p}\) & \(\boldsymbol{\eta}^{2}\) & \(\boldsymbol{t}\) & \(\boldsymbol{p}\) & \(\boldsymbol{\eta}^{2}\) & \(\boldsymbol{F}\) & \(\boldsymbol{p}\) & \(\boldsymbol{\eta_{p}}^{2}\) \\ \hline Pre- and post-in-person & & & & & & & & & & \\ session assessment & & & & & & & & & & \\ SMS (Total Score) & \(t\) (19) = \(-\)3.17 & 0.005 & 0.35 & \(t\) (18) = \(-\)3.94 & 0.001 & 0.46 & \(F\) (1, 36) = 0.01 & 0.924 & 0.00 \\ SMS (Body subscale) & \(t\) (20) = 1.76 & 0.093 & 0.13 & \(t\) (19) = 1.93 & 0.068 & 0.16 & \(F\) (1, 38) = 0.15 & 0.700 & 0.00 \\ SMS (Mind subscale) & \(t\) (19) = 3.47 & 0.003 & 0.39 & \(t\) (18) = 4.67 & 0.000 & 0.55 & \(F\) (1, 36) = 0.00 & 0.952 & 0.00 \\ VAS-SC (Self-compassion) & \(t\) (20) = 0.21 & 0.838 & 0.00 & \(t\) (19) = \(-\)1.02 & 0.320 & 0.05 & \(F\) (1, 38) = 0.35 & 0.556 & 0.00 \\ VAS-SC (Positive & \(t\) (20) = 0.29 & 0.775 & 0.00 & \(t\) (19) = 1.50 & 0.150 & 0.11 & \(F\) (1, 37) = 1.37 & 0.248 & 0.04 \\ VAS-SC (Self-criticism) & \(t\) (19) = 1.85 & 0.079 & 0.15 & \(t\) (19) = 1.16 & 0.261 & 0.07 & \(F\) (1, 37) = 0.03 & 0.868 & 0.00 \\ VAS-SC (Energized level) & \(t\) (20) = 1.78 & 0.090 & 0.14 & \(t\) (19) = 2.63 & 0.017 & 0.27 & \(F\) (1, 37) = 1.39 & 0.245 & 0.04 \\ Pre- and & & & & & & & & & & \\ postintervention assessment & & & & & & & & & & \\ PANAS (Positive Affect) & \(t\) (18) = \(-\)0.05 & 0.962 & 0.00 & \(t\) (15) = \(-\)0.86 & 0.405 & 0.05 & \(F\) (1, 32) = 0.23 & 0.633 & 0.01 \\ PANAS (Negative Affect) & \(t\) (18) = \(-\)0.90 & 0.378 & 0.04 & \(t\) (15) = \(-\)0.95 & 0.358 & 0.06 & \(F\) (1, 32) = 0.00 & 0.947 & 0.00 \\ CLS & \(t\) (18) = 0.25 & 0.809 & 0.00 & \(t\) (14) = 0.15 & 0.883 & 0.00 & \(F\) (1, 31) = 0.07 & 0.797 & 0.00 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note. PANAS = Positive and Negative Affect Scale; CLS = Compassion Love Scale; SMS = State Mindfulness Scale; VAS-SC = Visual  
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Table 3: Paired-samples \(t\)-tests and analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) results for PANAS, CLS, SMS, and VAS-SC scores. panic attacks, and a compassion meditation for that person. Furthermore, both groups were randomized into two conditions--the experimental one received an embodied-VR experience inviting them to \"put themselves into the body of the person whose narrative was being heard\" followed by the meditation, and the control, who just received the audio and the meditation.