Veterans find support within Innerworld

A virtual safe environment

For Veterans, leaving service can feel isolating. After spending years within a structured environment defined by shared purpose and camaraderie, transitioning to civilian life can be challenging. Finding a new sense of purpose and belonging is hard. In addition to these changes, some also may find themselves having to move geographically farther from friends and family, and they may find it hard to meet new people. With all these factors, Veterans may not know where to turn for support beyond their traditional VA health care experiences.

Innerworld, a virtual peer support platform, offers Veterans a community beyond the walls of VA health care facilities. Currently free for all Veterans, Innerworld provides anonymous support in a virtual environment. Designed by psychologists and experts, it fosters a sense of connection, community and understanding.

In 2024, VA collaborated with Innerworld and eleven Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems (VAHCS) to provide virtual reality (VR) headsets to Veterans interested in connecting with other Veterans in VR. This rollout began a two-year evaluation of Innerworld through the Peer Social Support pilot.

A lifeline in hard times

When help feels too far away and problems feel insurmountable, access to peers may make all the difference, especially if you can feel like you are side-by-side. For Veteran Rod Doty, September 2024 felt like one of those times. Doty lost his home in Western North Carolina to Hurricane Helene. Along with losing his home, he encountered several other challenges that resulted in a move to another state.  

Doty learned about VA’s collaboration with Innerworld and began accessing it on his phone to attend meetings that addressed alcohol addiction and information about other sobriety offerings. At the end of 2024, a VA colleague told him there was a VR headset available and asked if he would like to experience peer social support in a new way.

“I was excited because I’d been interested in VR for a long time,” said Doty, who was more than willing to test the application on a headset. Doty appreciated the way the headset immersed him even more in the environment and increased the interactivity. 

But even without the headsets, Doty recognized the value in being able to “go into groups with knowledgeable facilitators or have a one-on-one chat with someone… at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night.”

Virtual classes with real-world impacts

Accessible via mobile devices, tablets and VR headsets, Innerworld, a 24/7 on-demand platform, provides Veterans the opportunity for social connection and guided events on a variety of topics, including trauma, loss, managing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and much more. Since the platform is anonymous, Veterans have a place where they may feel comfortable and safe to share struggles, maybe even for the first time. With more than 100 events happening each week, Veterans have many opportunities to explore topics that may be most relatable to them. They can find comfort and encouragement in their experiences and then open connections in real life. These interactions are not only beneficial for Veterans, but they can also be helpful for caregivers and loved ones.

Safe, secure interactions

Innerworld offers a variety of features that can assist Veterans, including its accessibility and diverse options. Facilitators actively monitor events to ensure that Veterans expressing words of harm receive guidance to additional resources. The platform guides can independently engage with a Veteran, understand their situation and direct them to the 988 number for the Veterans Crisis Line.

VA Immersive

VA has deployed over 4,700 VR headsets across more than 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa with over 40 documented use cases and more than 10,000 Veteran experiences to date. To learn more, visit VA Immersive.