Patients use imagination to control pain with virtual reality program at Hoag Hospital

Teresa Lipot enjoys swimming as a way to connect with nature.
Unfortunately, a medical condition has rendered the 62-year-old woman unable to go in the water for the past several years.
By wearing virtual reality headsets, patients at Hoag Hospital can experience swimming underwater with dolphins and whales, along with several other scenarios. The technology is used to reduce pain and stress in patients. (Courtesy of Hoag Hospital).
Dr. Robert Louis, a neurosurgeon at Hoag Hospital in Newport Be