Psylaris: bringing VR-powered trauma therapy to Ukraine

Four years after the start of the full-scale invasion, the impact on Ukraine's mental health infrastructure remains profound. Trauma care is delivered daily in a context where safety cannot be assumed. Against this backdrop, one of our portfolio companies is demonstrating what scalable, evidence-based mental health technology can achieve when it matters most.

Psylaris, a Dutch digital health company, develops virtual reality tools that support clinicians in delivering EMDR therapy-a well-established, scientifically validated treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Their platform enables practitioners to guide patients through trauma processing using immersive VR environments, making treatment more accessible, efficient, and in some cases, more tolerable for patients who struggle with traditional approaches.

What Psylaris Does

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most effective therapies for PTSD, recommended by the WHO and numerous national health authorities. Traditional EMDR requires patients to verbally share traumatic memories with their therapist-a barrier for many, particularly military personnel and trauma survivors who find disclosure difficult or retraumatizing.

Psylaris addresses this through their "Blind to Therapist" functionality. Patients can work through traumatic imagery in VR without needing to verbalize the content to their clinician. The therapist guides the session and monitors physiological responses, but the patient retains control over what they disclose. This approach lowers the threshold for treatment and has proven particularly valuable for veterans and combat survivors.

Why This Matters

At BVP, we invest in breakthrough technologies that strengthen essential societal systems. Mental health infrastructure is exactly that: essential. In contexts shaped by war, displacement, and the psychological burden of prolonged conflict, the demand for trauma care far exceeds available clinical capacity.

Tools that help trained practitioners treat more patients effectively-without compromising clinical quality-are critical to closing that gap. What makes Psylaris's approach compelling is the combination of scientific rigor and practical accessibility. The technology is grounded in established therapeutic protocols, not experimental methods. At the same time, the VR format reduces barriers to treatment uptake and enables deployment in settings where traditional infrastructure may be limited.

Looking Ahead

Psylaris exemplifies the kind of company we seek to back: commercially viable, clinically validated, and built to address real gaps in how essential systems function. From scientific breakthrough to enduring value, and in this case, from the Netherlands to the front lines of trauma care in Ukraine.