How this UAE-based VR tech helps cancer patients regain mental strength

Khaleej Times

a day ago

For many cancer patients, the hardest part begins when treatment ends. The pain may linger, but it's the psychological toll — the fear, the anxiety, the loss of direction, that often proves more enduring. A UAE-based startup, X-Technology, is now offering a form of support that doesn't come in a pill or a counselling session, but through a virtual reality headset.
"We don't work with cancer, we work with the psyche," says Nargiz Noimann-Zander, the founder of X-Technology. "We don't treat the diagnosis. We help with what the diagnosis does to a person's emotional state."
Through immersive VR-based exercises, the system invites users to externalise and confront their fears. Wearing a headset, the user is transported in one of their games into a galactic scene where two spheres float in space. The instruction is simple but surreal: place the same fear inside both spheres using only your mind. Then, focus until the spheres collide in an explosion of virtual stardust.
"You need to try to hold the fear inside each sphere and make them come closer," David, CTO of X-Technology and Nargiz's son explains. "When they come close, you see a flow. That means you're on the right track. It's all mind-driven."
A new frontier in emotional support
Nargiz has spent over 25 years at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and technology. A certified expert in psychosomatics, coaching, NLP and clinical psychology, she began experimenting with tech-based therapy as far back as 1997. Her motivation was deeply personal. "One of my sons had serious heart issues when he was a child, and that's when I started looking into using computer games as a gentle way to support healing," she shared in the interview.
That moment marked the beginning of what would become decades of innovation in psychotechnology. "Our story began long before the X-Technology brand was born," she says. "Back in 1997, we founded the Health Centre — a space where doctors, psychologists, and neuroscientists came together to find gentle, science-backed ways to help people heal."
Between 1999 and 2003, her team focused on biofeedback-based methods to better understand psychophysiological states. From 2003 to 2009, they started experimenting with computer games not as entertainment, but as tools for emotional and cognitive support. "On modest Pentium systems, we built the very first prototypes of game-based interventions," she recalls. The concept matured from 2009 to 2017 as they combined gaming with biofeedback and real patient experience. In 2017, the transition to VR opened new doors, offering deeply immersive, personalised environments for therapy and recovery. By 2019, AI, virtual assistants, and digital twins became part of the equation.
Today, the result is a platform that is being used in clinics, educational settings, and corporate wellness programmes around the world. Importantly, the devices are not connected to the internet. "We're very worried about the data," David says. "We don't connect to Wi-Fi or the cloud. Everything is stored offline inside the headset. I don't want anybody to know what's happening in my brain."
Tackling the emotional aftermath of illness
Professor Sam Abuomar, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Master's Programme at Lewis University and a visiting professor at the American University of Sharjah, is currently leading a study on the impact of X-Technology's platform on patients undergoing cancer recovery and those with chronic illnesses. "The VR experience has a positive impact because it emulates certain emotional states or past experiences," he explains. "Especially for high-risk patients — those with conditions like cancer or those undergoing chemotherapy — this type of immersive support can improve their emotional and psychological well-being."
The mental skills it targets include memory, emotion, and trauma processing. In one future iteration, the system might be tailored to mimic a user's past experiences — working in a factory, being with family — to evoke comforting familiarity. "In our literature review, we came across about 15 studies conducted between 2020 and 2025," says Abuomar. "All of them showed promising results. For example, a 2023 Cleveland Clinic study on 52 cancer patients using interactive therapeutic VR reported significant reduction in depression. Another European study in 2025 on surgical patients found a significant reduction in intraoperative pain." Although their current study is in early stages, Abuomar and his students have begun testing with a sample of 10 patients. Their goal is to compare results between traditional therapy and VR-based support. "If this proves successful, it could be a big step for this kind of tech-based mental health intervention," he adds.
Real users, real effects
Maria Efimova, 34, a clinical psychologist based in Moscow, has been using the headset for more than two years. She was one of the first to experiment with early versions of the system and now incorporates it into her own practice. "The benefits have been tremendous," she says. "I've seen a significant reduction in anxiety, fears of public speaking, and constant worrying. When I face health-related stress or even physical pain, this is the first thing I turn to. It's like having a coach on call.' Efimova uses two main programmes: one for dissolving fears and another for working with body-related projections. "My mother uses them too. I often recommend it to my clients. Even after one session, I feel less tension and more calmness."
A deeply personal mission
For Nargiz, the journey is about more than just innovation — it's about restoring humanity to healing. In addition to leading international research centres and authoring nine books, she is also the mother of eight children and grandmother of three. "When future technologies meet a deep understanding of human consciousness, we access a whole new level of self-awareness and possibility," she says.
Her mission is clear: to merge science and technology with empathy, helping people across the world not just survive illness, but rebuild emotionally and psychologically. "It's not about fighting the disease. It's about helping people face what it does to their mind and soul - and giving them the tools to rise again."