Reimagining Identity, Healing, and Equality Through Extended Reality
Mariachiara Tirinzoni, Valentino Megale · Advances in wireless technologies and telecommunication book series · 2025
This chapter explores the transformative potential of Extended Reality (XR) in reshaping identity, enhancing therapeutic applications, and fostering social inclusion. By leveraging XR technologies, new forms of embodiment allow users to inhabit virtual bodies that challenge traditional self-perception. The chapter highlights XR's innovative applications in pain management, physical rehabilitation, and mental health, where personalized avatars and adaptive environments offer novel solutions. It also examines both the benefits—such as increased empathy and reduced biases—and the ethical risks of identity manipulation and privacy concerns in virtual worlds. Furthermore, it addresses how XR can serve as a tool for addressing stigmas and taboos surrounding women's identities and bodies, offering the potential for improved communication between doctors and patients, and transforming societal perspectives on menstruation.