Following the launch of our virtual reality experience earlier in 2017 Funeralzone wrote an article on The Loss Foundation and the difficulties of getting people to engage with topics of death and grief, even when they’re not going through it themselves…
“Now, one charity is making use of cutting edge technology to make this happen. The Loss Foundation, which offers bereavement support to people after a loved one’s death from cancer, has created a unique virtual reality experience giving other people an immersive insight into what it feels like to be bereaved.
The Reality of Loss is a virtual reality film designed to be viewed through a VR headset that highlights the impact of grief like never before, in a totally immersive experience that makes viewers feel like they are a part of the story unfolding before their eyes.
The seven-minute film charts two sides of the same story of love, loss and grief. By turning your head while wearing the headset, you can experience being in the same place at two different times: before and after bereavement.
In one scene, you find yourself in the middle of a house party. Guests are laughing, drinking and having fun. But if you turn to look the other way, the party becomes a wake, the guests are dressed all in black and talking quietly. Thanks to the virtual reality technology, you can turn back and forth between the two, seeing before and after a bereavement by cancer.
“Cancer and death are still taboo, people don’t want to talk about it or think about it – and that makes perfect sense,” says Dr Erin Hope Thompson, director of The Loss Foundation.
“But when someone is bereaved, they can become very socially isolated, because no one wants to talk about it. People might not know what to say and so they say nothing at all. That’s why we want people to engage with the topic, even if they’re not bereaved.”
To read the full article click here.