Support & FAQs

Soul Retreat is a calm, photoreal nature retreat with an integrated AI mindfulness guide that delivers personalised guided meditations. Every place is real, filmed on location and shown with real depth, and seven are in Enhanced 3D. It combines immersive nature, paced breathing, and evidence-informed techniques to help you unwind in the evening and relax — with minimal effort.

Yes. Soul Retreat is designed to work on shared headsets in care homes, hospitals, universities, charities and training programmes. It works offline, needs no controllers and no training, and staff can set it up once for everyone who uses the headset. The first 20 headsets are free for healthcare organisations, care organisations, charities and universities.

Soul Retreat for organisations

Yes, once your environments are downloaded. Carnish Beach and Glen Coe come with the app; the others are about 1 GB each and download from the Environments menu. Talking to your AI guide and voice commands (Soul Retreat Plus) need an internet connection.

Soul Retreat is built for Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S and tuned for their hand tracking and visuals. Controllers are supported too.

No. Soul Retreat is designed to work hands-free with hand tracking, and controllers are always optional. With Soul Retreat Plus, you can also use voice for navigation and talking to your guide.

Yes — Soul Retreat works seated, standing, or lying down, so you can use it however you’re most comfortable.

Yes. Your check-ins and goals shape each session. Soul Retreat Plus also addresses you by name, and you can also ask for what you need in the moment (for example: “help me unwind” or “focus my mind”).

While Soul Retreat isn’t a medical device, many sessions are designed for winding down. At night, scenes automatically warm and darken to limit blue‑light exposure; stars appear in time with each breath; and guidance and stories are shaped to help you settle. You can also choose a goal such as “Sleep better.”

Soul Retreat is a calm-first meditation and relaxation app for Meta Quest 3/3S that immerses you in photoreal, real-world nature. Use hand tracking (no controllers needed) to navigate, and with Soul Retreat Plus you can also use voice to explore and speak with an AI mindfulness guide that personalizes meditations and stories to your mood and goals. It uses evidence-informed techniques like immersive nature and paced breathing to help you unwind, feel calmer, and fall asleep more easily.

What Soul Retreat focuses on

• Photorealistic nature (GroundedPresence™): Real locations filmed on location, so nature looks and moves naturally—especially water (sea, rivers, waterfalls) and plants—rather than feeling like CGI. Unlike a flat 360 video, every place has real depth, and seven are in Enhanced 3D: rebuilt from LiDAR scans, so cliffs, waterfalls and mountains have their true shape and scale while the water flows and the leaves move just as they did on the day.
• AI-personalized guidance (fully integrated): Your guide welcomes you back, remembers your preferences, and generates meditations and stories tailored to your mood and goals—not just a selection of pre-made tracks.
• Simple, integrated experience: You drop straight into nature, your guide is there, and photorealism + guidance + biofeedback breathing are available in every session—no juggling separate modes.

Which Meta Quest VR meditation app should I choose?

• Choose Soul Retreat to relax in nature: photoreal 3D places with music-paced slow breathing, two well-researched ways to ease stress—ideal for winding down and sleep.
• Choose TRIPP if you want higher-stimulation experiences with trippy, abstract visuals and a mobile companion app.
• Choose Liminal if you want a broad mix of moods rather than a focus on calm: from awe and high-energy games to its new Fear category.
• Choose Guided Meditation VR if you want a pre-recorded library of guided sessions set in CG virtual environments.

Headset note: Soul Retreat is designed for Meta Quest 3/3S to deliver its most realistic visuals; if you’re on Quest 2, consider the options above.

Yes. Soul Retreat is an evidence-informed VR meditation and relaxation app designed to support relaxation and stress management through structured guided sessions and music-guided resonance breathing in immersive natural environments. Soul Retreat is designed for relaxation and wellbeing, not for diagnosing or treating mental health conditions.

Why it can work well alongside other support

1. Structured, guided sessions

   Each session follows a clear, repeatable flow (welcome → check-in → guided slow breathing → guided meditation/story/music → closing check-in).

2. Evidence-aligned frameworks: mindfulness and positive psychology principles

   Across themes and courses, Soul Retreat draws on mindfulness principles including present-moment attention and body awareness, alongside positive psychology themes such as gratitude and self-kindness. It also includes: Progressive muscle relaxation (Meditation → Body) • Guided nature visualisation (Meditation → Nature) • Mindful movement (Meditation → Movement)

3. Resonance breathing is easier to follow because it’s music-guided

   Resonance breathing is guided through the music itself (with supportive visual cues), helping users keep a steady pace without counting. This can be especially helpful for people who would benefit from paced breathing, but don’t reliably stick with it using standard phone apps.

4. VR nature immersion can support engagement for some users

   Some people find immersive nature helps them step out of everyday distractions and rumination, making it easier to stay with breathing and guided practice. Read a summary of the VR nature immersion research.

5. Comfort and inclusion

   Soul Retreat works seated, standing, or lying down, and supports hand tracking (controllers optional). It uses zero artificial locomotion through the world—there’s no forced movement; users only move if they physically move in their own space—helping reduce motion sickness risk for many people.

Who is Soul Retreat suitable for (and who should avoid VR meditation)?

• Suitable for adults (18+) who:

  • Experience stress, overwhelm, rumination, or difficulty switching off
  • Prefer guided, structured support rather than self-directed meditation
  • Would benefit from paced breathing / resonance breathing, but struggle to maintain the rhythm alone
  • Want practical relaxation skills such as muscle relaxation, nature visualisation, mindful movement, and attention/body-based grounding

• Not suitable (as with VR meditation apps in general) during acute distress, if immersive experiences feel destabilising, or if slow breathing/body-focused attention tends to trigger panic. As with any VR experience, it isn’t suitable for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other conditions where VR is contraindicated.

Safety, boundaries, and privacy

• What Soul Retreat is (and isn’t)

  Soul Retreat is a wellbeing and relaxation app. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment plans, medication advice, or crisis counselling. It is not a substitute for professional care.

• Support resources

  Soul Retreat has risk-language detection designed to surface support guidance and signposting to relevant crisis/safeguarding resources when self-harm or violence language is detected.

• Quiet Mode: no microphone required

  Soul Retreat works fully without microphone access. Users can simply choose not to enable microphone permission. If the mic is off: voice chat and voice commands are unavailable, and no voice audio is processed. When voice features are used: it does not store voice recordings or transcripts.

What the free version includes

The free version includes the core ingredients most people need to build a steady relaxation practice:

• 7-day courses (e.g., Calm, Sleep, Focus)
• Music-guided resonance breathing
• Progressive muscle relaxation (Meditation → Body)
• Guided nature visualisation (Meditation → Nature)
• Mindful movement (Meditation → Movement)
• Guided meditations, stories, and music sessions with simple personalisation choices

Using it with patients, residents or students? See Soul Retreat for organisations and what the evidence shows. The first 20 headsets are free for healthcare organisations, care organisations, charities and universities.

With an optional check-in. If you turn on Relaxation Check-ins, your guide asks “How are you feeling right now?” at the start of a session and again at the end, and you choose very tense, tense, neutral, relaxed or very relaxed. We compare the two answers. Check-ins are off by default, so only people who choose to take part are counted, and they are anonymous: nothing that identifies you or your Meta account is sent.

The numbers on our website come from 655 check-ins by 99 users between January and October 2026. Every figure counts each user once: we average their sessions, so a few frequent users cannot outweigh everyone else.

• 9 in 10 people felt more relaxed after their sessions, on average. For each user we average the change across all their sessions. 89 of 99 averaged an improvement, 9 averaged no change, and only 1 averaged more tense: they did just one session, and moved only one point less relaxed.
• 94% of people who arrived feeling tense left no longer feeling tense. 51 users started at least one session tense or very tense (103 sessions). Taking only those sessions, and counting each user once, 94% ended at neutral or better and more than half at relaxed or very relaxed. None of the 103 ended worse.
• Average improvement of 1.0 point. Each user's average change, then the average of those 99 figures, on the five-point scale.
• The before-and-after chart. Each user adds one share, split evenly across their sessions, so someone with four sessions adds a quarter for each. The bars show how those shares divide across the five answers.

“Users” counts app installs, so someone who reinstalls is counted twice, and a shared headset can hold several people.

What we leave out, and why. We leave out check-ins from our own test headsets. We keep sessions that started at very relaxed, even though there is no higher answer to give, so they cannot show an improvement. That makes the figures slightly lower, not higher.

What this does and does not show. This is not a controlled trial. The ratings are self-reported straight after a session, and people who switch on check-ins may already like the app. We use these numbers to check that sessions are working for the people who use them, and to compare changes we make to the app. For independent evidence, see the controlled research on VR nature and slow breathing. We are also working with researchers at the University of Glasgow on an independent controlled study comparing our 3D nature with 360° video. For a one-page summary, see what the evidence shows.

For researchers. We publish summary figures rather than the full dataset, but we're happy to share the de-identified check-in data with university researchers, on terms that rule out re-identification and commercial use. Email support@soulretreat.app.

Figures updated 7 October 2026.

Designed to be gentle in VR. Nothing moves you through the world: you stay where you are and only move if you physically move, which helps reduce the risk of motion sickness for many people. It works seated, standing or lying down, with hand tracking or controllers. Sessions take place in calm natural places with spoken guidance, and you can pause at any time by opening the menu, or simply take the headset off. Binaural beats are optional and off unless you choose them.

Suitability. Soul Retreat is for adults (18+). As with VR meditation apps in general, it isn't suitable during acute distress, if immersive experiences feel destabilising, or if slow breathing or body-focused attention tends to trigger panic. As with any VR experience, it isn't suitable for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other conditions where VR is contraindicated, and Meta's own Quest health and safety warnings apply.

What it is and isn't. Soul Retreat is a relaxation and wellbeing app. It is not a medical device, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and is not crisis support. If self-harm or violence language comes up, it shows support guidance and signposts crisis resources.

Environments

• Free: 2 core retreats + 1 rotating weekly featured
• Plus: All 16 retreats, 7 in Enhanced 3D, with new ones added regularly

Voice commands + chat

• Free: No voice control or voice chat
• Plus: Hands-free voice commands + voice chat with your guide

Guide AI voice minutes

• Free: 60 mins/month
• Plus: 600 mins/month

Personalization

• Free: Duration, guide voice, goal, sub-goal, daily check-in
• Plus: Everything in Free, addresses you by name and choose guide persona, mentor, area of tension, spiritual perspective and age range

Meditations

• Free: Nature, Affirmation
• Plus: Everything in Free, plus Learn, Body/Movement

Stories

• Free: Mentor, Legends
• Plus: Everything in Free, plus History, Wildlife

In-app user profiles (on the subscribing Meta account)

• Free: 1 profile
• Plus: Up to 5 profiles

Why upgrade? Soul Retreat Plus unlocks the full library of photorealistic retreats and lets you talk to your AI guide for voice navigation and in-the-moment personalized meditations—ideal when stress spikes or you can’t switch off in the evening. It’s an “always-there” retreat you can lean on whenever you need it.

Yes — there’s a one-time Lifetime purchase on the Meta Quest Store. Online features (including AI guidance and voice chat) require an internet connection and are available for the lifetime of Soul Retreat VR’s service, while the app and its online services are supported. Soul Retreat also has a free version with two included environments plus another that changes each week and daily guided meditations/stories, biofeedback breathing, and relaxing music.

Soul Retreat Plus unlocks the full library, hands-free voice features, and deeper personalization — and subscriptions help fund new photorealistic environments, expert-led content, and the AI compute needed for adaptive guidance.

Soul Retreat Plus is tied to the Meta account (Horizon profile) that subscribed — Meta subscriptions don’t support App Sharing across multiple Horizon profiles. Within that subscribing account, Soul Retreat Plus supports up to 5 in-app user profiles (switch at start, or go to Profile → Users). The free version supports a single in-app profile.

Subscriptions are billed and managed by Meta. In the Meta Horizon app: Menu → Home Subscriptions → Soul Retreat. For the latest official instructions (phone, web, or headset), see Meta’s guide

Soul Retreat Plus monthly or annual subscribers can share a Meta referral link. Your friend will receive a 30-day free trial (instead of the usual 7-day trial). When they become a paying subscriber, you'll receive a complimentary 30-day extension on your active subscription. Find how to refer a friend on Meta.com

Soul Retreat is privacy-first and aims to minimize data. We store essential preferences and basic session history on your headset (and only back it up via Meta Cloud Backup if you enable it). We also collect anonymous, de-identified session metrics (e.g., session type/duration, completion, breathing accuracy, optional relaxation rating) plus basic device/app diagnostics (device model, OS/app version, crash/performance logs) to improve reliability. We don’t sell personal data and we don’t run behavioral ads. For the full details, see the Privacy Policy.

No. Voice features are only enabled when you explicitly trigger them, and we don’t store voice recordings or transcripts. Voice is processed in real time for features like voice navigation and the AI mindfulness guide. Our AI provider may retain text logs for up to 30 days for abuse prevention, then deletes them (and does not train on your data). For more detail see the Privacy Policy.

In the app, go to Profile → Users → Delete to remove your local Soul Retreat profile (preferences and session history) from the headset. If you’ve enabled Meta Cloud Backup, Meta may hold a backup associated with your Meta account. You can also request deletion of any personal data we control (i.e. support emails) by contacting support@soulretreat.app. Full details are in the Privacy Policy.

To quit/close Soul Retreat on your Meta Quest headset:

• Press the Meta / Oculus button to open the universal menu, select Soul Retreat, then choose Quit.
• If you’re using hand tracking, use the system hand gesture to open the universal menu (look at your dominant hands palm and pinch), then choose Quit.

During a meditation, story or music session, open the Soul Retreat menu (Controller: B button • Hand tracking: look at the button on your wrist and press it). Close the menu to continue.

• Use the volume buttons on the Meta Quest headset for overall volume.
• In Soul Retreat, open Profile → Settings → Sound and adjust the volumes of music and nature sounds. If you prefer not to have music, choose Nature Sound on the Music page.

• Open/close menu or pause session: Press B. Press B during a session to pause. To recentre menu press B to close, then press B again to reopen it in front of you.
• Select / confirm: Point at a circle and pull Trigger.
• Rotate view (360°): Move the Thumbstick left/right.
• Adjust daylight / time of day: Hold Grip and tilt the controller up/down.
• Talk to your guide (Soul Retreat Plus): Press and hold A (release when finished).
• Paint stars at night: Hold Trigger and point. You must started a session and have music turned on for star painting to work.

In Soul Retreat with hand tracking:

• Open/close menu: Look at the button on your wrist and press it. Open the menu during a session to pause.
• Select: Point at a circle and pinch thumb + index.
• Rotate view: Make a relaxed fist with thumb up and swipe thumb left/right.
• Adjust daylight: With the same relaxed fist, swipe thumb forward/back on your index finger just like swiping on a phone. Watch demonstration video.
• Talk to your guide (Soul Retreat Plus): Make a loose fist and double-tap your thumb on your index finger (listen for the chime).

Tip: Hand tracking works best in good, even lighting.

In Soul Retreat Plus, press-and-hold A (controller) or double-tap thumb (hands) and speak naturally. The following are some examples, of the kinds of things you can say:

• Create a meditation about… shutting off work brain • easing shoulder tension • drifting into deep sleep
• Tell a story about… an octopus teaching acceptance • the medieval history • a talking wildcat
• Continue the meditation, but focus more on gratitude
• Play music
• Take me to… Soaso Falls • beach • snow capped mountains
• Make it… sunrise • sunset • midnight
• Show the menu for ... / Hide the menu
• Stop the… meditation • story • music
• Set my mentor to… Isaac Newton • Winnie the Pooh • Abraham Lincoln
• Set my affirmation to… I am calm • I am safe • I can handle this
• Set my goal to… feel calmer • sleep better • increase focus

Yes, a little. Every place has real depth, so you can lean or take a few steps within your play space and nearby rocks slide past the ones behind, as they would if you were really there. For exploring:

• Rotate 360° (Controller: thumbstick • Hand tracking: thumb swipe).
• Glide a couple of metres (controllers): turn on Profile → Settings → Advanced → Controllers → Thumbstick Move, then push the left thumbstick.
• To see new places, open the Environment menu (or use voice in Plus) to switch environments.

Soul Retreat can use Meta Quest Cloud Backup so your progress/settings can restore after reinstalling or moving to a new headset (same Meta account).

• On your headset, open the universal menu → Quick Settings (clock) → Settings → System → Backup → Cloud Backup and make sure it’s turned on. You can see the most recent backup date for Soul Retreat below.

This is usually a Meta Quest floor level calibration issue.

• Open the Meta Horizon menu (press the Meta/Oculus button, or use the system hand gesture).
• Go to Quick Settings (clock icon) → Boundary. Then either switch to Roomscale or adjust Stationary boundary.

Tip: Switching your Boundary to Roomscale can give a more reliable floor position.

These four were rebuilt in Enhanced 3D in October 2026. If you downloaded one before then, open Environments, point at it and hold for 2 seconds to delete it, then download it again.

• Check you’re on Soul Retreat Plus
  Voice control is a Plus feature. If you’re on the free version, voice commands won’t work.
• Allow microphone permission
  On Quest: Settings → Privacy & safety / App Permissions → Microphone → find Soul Retreat → enable Microphone.

Soul Retreat has 16 real places, filmed on location in the Scottish Highlands and islands, the Pyrenees and the Swiss Alps. Every place has real depth, and seven are in Enhanced 3D: rebuilt from LiDAR scans, so cliffs, waterfalls and mountains have their true shape and scale. The free version includes Carnish Beach and Glen Coe, plus a featured location that changes weekly. Soul Retreat Plus unlocks them all, and we add new places regularly.

In Enhanced 3D

• Soaso Falls (Spain) — Wide tiered waterfalls pouring into clear blue-green pools beneath high cliffs. New in October 2026.
• Iffigalp (Switzerland) — Alpine flowers at your feet, snowy peaks above and a valley far below. New in October 2026.
• Escuain Gorge (Spain) — Clear rapids over sculpted rock between steep wooded canyon walls. New in October 2026.
• Acherito (Spain) — A clear mountain lake beneath jagged limestone peaks.
• Aneto (Spain) — A clear alpine stream through snowy meadows under Pyrenean peaks.
• La Besurta (Spain) — A quiet meadow and stream framed by conifers and snowy ridges.
• Portalet (France) — Sparkling snowmelt streams across open pasture with big mountain views.

Beaches and lochs of Scotland

• Carnish Beach — A secluded Atlantic cove with soft sand, dunes, and calming waves. Free.
• Glen Coe — Lochside stillness beneath the Three Sisters, with wind and birdsong. Free.
• Luskentyre — Wide white sand and small waves, with the hills of Taransay across the water.
• Uig Bay — Pale sand and turquoise shallows lapping around you.
• Garry Beach Cove — A sunny sandy cove on Lewis with big waves and rocky cliffs.
• Nisabost Rockpool — Turquoise water, rock pools, and soft waves in bright sun.
• Loch na Cartach — A tranquil loch with heather hills and rippling reflections.
• Loch Ness — Sunlit water, wooded slopes, and distant sailboats on the loch.
• Seagull Island — A calm loch view toward a tiny islet and layered green mountains.

Soul Retreat combines real-world environments with adaptive guidance to create fresh sessions based on your mood check-in, goal, theme, voice, length, and location—so your practice never feels repetitive. With multiple options across these choices, there are 100,000+ unique session combinations, plus new content added regularly.

Meditation types

• Nature — Guided relaxation that uses the sights and sounds of the environment to help you unwind and feel grounded.
• Affirmation — Intention-setting sessions with supportive affirmations to support your goal.
• Body / Movement — Gentle body awareness and light movement prompts to release tension and reset. (Plus only)
• Learn — Practical lessons that teach mindfulness and positive-psychology ideas you can use in daily life. (Plus only)

Story types

• Mentor — Wisdom-led stories with a mentor offering personalised guidance (Plus: choose your mentor).
• Legends — Local myths and folklore woven into the setting for an atmospheric, calming .
• History — Place-inspired stories drawn from real-world history and culture of the locations. (Plus only)
• Wildlife — Nature-themed stories inspired by animals and plants. (Plus only)

Course themes by goal

• Feel Calmer: Accepting What You Can’t Control, Reframing Negative Thoughts, Letting Go of Perfectionism, Being Kind to Yourself, Cultivating Gratitude, Choosing Healthy Distractions, Moving Your Body to Ease Your Mind
• Sleep Better: Releasing Your To-Do List, Establishing Evening Routines for Restful Sleep, Cultivating Gratitude at Night, Creating a Sleep Sanctuary, Accepting What You Can’t Control, Building Healthy Daytime Habits, Understanding Exercise’s Role in Sleep Health
• Enhance Focus: Single-Tasking for Precision and Flow, Letting Go of Perfectionism, Staying Present for Clarity, Breaking Goals into Manageable Steps, Leveraging the Power of Breaks, Detoxing from Harmful Digital Habits, Visualizing Success
• Personal Growth: Developing a Growth Mindset, Aligning with Your Authentic Self, Pursuing Personal Growth Through Reflection, Discovering Awe and Wonder, Finding Meaning in Life, Connecting to Something Greater, Crafting Your Long-Term Vision
• Scenic Escape: Simply Look Around, Following The Horizon, Listening To The Landscape, Watching Light Change, Softly Notice Details, Resting With Stillness, Being In Place
• Boost Confidence: Practicing Self-Compassion, Managing Comparison Traps, Silencing the Inner Critic, Discovering Your Strengths, Detoxing from Harmful Digital Habits, Letting Go of Perfectionism, Overcoming Fear of Failure