Exploring the Shadows is an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience designed by Dominique Vyborna to educate and support individuals with PTSD by blending digital therapeutics with an emotionally compelling, fantastical narrative. The project provides a safe, engaging space for users to learn about trauma symptoms, causes, and healing modalities while restoring a sense of agency through interactive storytelling.
This phase of the Exploring the Shadows project development was made possible through the support of Culture West, with funding from the West of England Combined Authority and Arts Council England. From November 2024 to June 2025, we have been focused on R&D for a trauma-informed virtual environment design with interactive elements, which would provide a comfortable environment option for people of many diverse backgrounds.
Through community-led focus groups, we are committed that the virtual environments feel safe and welcoming to people from any background, including individuals from the global majority, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and neurodiverse people.
If you missed the focus groups, but would still like to contribute, please take this Safe Places Survey!
The experience guides users through three pathways—each representing a different aspect of trauma education—before converging in a peaceful, multiplayer space designed for reflection and support. By integrating passive digital therapeutics, such as sound therapy, guided breathing, and grounding exercises, Exploring the Shadows helps users navigate trauma education in a way that is both accessible and empowering.
This project aims to bridge the gap between trauma onset and formal therapy, offering a unique, innovative approach to mental health care.
This project is current in it’s fourth prototyping iteration, and we are actively seeking research funding for the co-design and testing of digital therapeutic elements to include in the final production.
