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What happens when people with acute psychosis meet the voices in their heads?

The long read: In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding

After a celebrated career as a social psychiatrist and schizophrenia specialist at University College London, Leff was sitting at home in Hampstead, pondering the results of a survey that reported the most distressing aspect of hearing voices was the feeling of helplessness. They combined this with an off-the-shelf programme called Lip Synch, so that the mouth would move appropriately, and voice-changing software, so the avatar could be made to sound male or female, rougher or smoother, higher or lower, older or younger. They get more psychotic.” As a result, the Danish team progressed more slowly than clinicians on the Avatar 2 trial, and have added safety features, such as a virtual panic button, and regular contact with the participants’ primary care providers throughout treatment.

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