How technology is changing classic approaches to psychotherapy
Just a couple of years ago get help
Advances in technology offer customers flexibleterms of cooperation: the cost of the service is reduced without loss of quality, package offers appear. For example, to include in the payment not only hours of consulting on Zoom or Skype, but also monthly support in instant messengers. I know of several examples of psychotherapists working with clients via WhatsApp. This method is very convenient: if a person does not feel well, he can write a message during the day and receive qualified help.
There are now special mobile applications forsmartphones, which are tools for self-knowledge, diagnosis, building a positive attitude and fighting certain mental disorders. For example, since this summer, the electronic assistant Woebot has been helping users cope with everyday stress and problems - loneliness, grief, procrastination - through the smart mood tracking function. According to the developers, Woebot is more like a friend than an app. Therefore, clients who have a lack of communication will find such an assistant very useful. The effect of communicating with a chatbot has been repeatedly proven by Stanford University staff: in the four weeks of the study, the subjects showed a decrease in anxiety (38%) and depression (32%).
Today there are many mobile resources,allowing you to track your emotional state throughout the day. One of them is MoodKit, an application based on cognitive behavioral therapy methods. The tools integrated into the program help a person assess and improve their mood, identify and change unhealthy thinking. Similar principles are embedded in the services Moodnotes, MoodTools, Pacifica and Stress & Anxiety Companion. There are apps that offer dozens of meditations to help you relax after a hard day and find peace of mind. For example, Stop, Breathe & Think, Calm or Headspace.
Robot psychotherapists: can AI replace the specialist?
Most psychotherapists are waryrefer to new technologies. In my opinion, there is no need to worry. Machines can help, but they cannot replace a specialist in this industry. Although there have already been some attempts. In 2017, the Japanese company NTT Resonant developed the Oshi-el artificial intelligence system, which to this day works as an online psychologist, listening to people and giving them valuable advice. Oshi-el is constantly learning, so her advice is not formulaic, but based on experience.
Scientists from the University of Southern California alsoconduct experiments on conducting initial psychotherapy sessions without the participation of specialists. Their virtual robots are able to conduct the initial examination of patients through voice communication. The program competently builds up the communication process, reading a person's emotions and adjusting the course of the conversation depending on the reaction received.
Today, a lot can be solved thanks to smartdevices. For example, helping a client with depression. But if he asked for psychological help in connection with the loss of a relative, then he definitely cannot do without a person-to-person contact. In such cases, you need an entrance to an emotional state, empathy from a specialist, tactile interaction (take a person by the hand, hug). Robots cannot do this yet.
Technology, first of all, must be consideredas a help to yourself. In most cases, a bot is enough for conscious customers to solve problems. Here - in the introduction of technologies - there is another positive, if I may say so, moment. In psychotherapy there is a "side story" when a person becomes attached to a specialist, and then cannot even take a step without his recommendations, in fact, shifts the responsibility for decisions to a specialist. In this sense, it is very good when electronic assistants take over diagnostics and daily reminders.
VR therapy - a new approach to the treatment of mental disorders
In psychotherapy, a large role is played by working withimagination in a specific location where the client has anxiety, fear or panic. Previously, a specialist asked a person to imagine some unpleasant situation that happened earlier. Now it has become possible, without leaving the office, to be in the right place - the circumstances are simulated using VR glasses. Technologies of building new positive pictures of the world using virtual reality are used during sessions or in between sessions.
For Russia, such methods are still new. A VR Center has been created at Moscow State University, where virtual reality programs are being developed and tested. There are some initiatives worthy of attention. For example, the PsyVR and PsyRelaxation apps are designed to reduce stress levels in autogenous relaxation and hypnotherapy.
Abroad, on the contrary, the VR industry is rapidlygaining momentum. The Spanish company Psious made a great contribution to its development. Its employees have developed a virtual platform, Psious VR Therapy, specifically for psychotherapists with training programs that include visualization of various phobias. Another useful product is Psious Toolsuite, an application that offers hyper-realistic virtual environments for the treatment of many disorders.
It is noteworthy that the platform allows psychotherapists to track in real time what the client sees on the smartphone and change the course of treatment in accordance with his needs.
In the West, VR glasses are used not only for workwith patients, but also in the training of future psychotherapists. It is believed that a specialist must go through not only the classics, but also personal psychotherapy (including working hours). There is a similar practice at Stanford.
Even using technology has side effects
Let's start with the fact that, in principle, Russia has not yetit is customary to visit a psychotherapist. Only in recent years has this need begun to develop in our society. Usually Russians solve problems the old fashioned way: on their own or with friends. According to a study by VTsIOM, 88% of our compatriots still adhere to this tactic. The average mindful client of a psychotherapist is a 35+ person who grew up watching The Terminator movies. He perfectly remembers from the plot of the legendary film epic what will happen if we let a lot of cars into our lives, and he is afraid of this.
Like most things, innovative technologymust be used in dosage. Otherwise, there is a risk of side effects. For example, depressive disorders from communicating with artificial intelligence or violation of privacy, personal space. We live in a frantic pace, the speed of digitalization is increasing every year. Going into the digital space and immersion in gadgets can also cause people to stop meeting in person and communicate, forget how to listen and understand each other.
What lies ahead for psychotherapy in the next decade
In my opinion, the future of the industry lies in AI andvirtual reality technologies. The demand for AR / VR devices is growing steadily. Goldman Sachs analysts predict that by 2025 their use in the field of medical services, including psychiatry, will increase to $ 6.1 billion in volume. The popularity of VR devices is due to the fact that they allow in a safe environment to show what is usually required connect imagination.
Here's an example: psychotherapy often uses the practice of prescribing different scenarios. Thanks to such exercises, the brain receives the installation that from any difficult situation there are several ways out and in each - a certain plan of action. This technique helps the client to build a new reality for himself, and in some cases - to find a new meaning in life. Perhaps, soon experts will simulate situations using VR glasses with artificial intelligence. First, a smart device will listen to a person, diagnose him, and then, after analyzing the data obtained, will offer him suitable scenarios.
As you can see, progress does not stand still. It affects all spheres of our life and penetrates even into such conservative branches as psychotherapy. But technologies should not cause mistrust and fear, because they are intended not to replace a person, but to help him.
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