Psychotherapy in the Metaverse: Practitioners Guide to Effective Mental Health Treatment

Dr. Bruce Bassi and the CRC Press (Taylor Francis Group) will be publishing a book on psychotherapy in the metaverse. For updates on the release of this book and information on how to purchase, please subscribe to our newsletter (on the right).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The book would serve as a helpful primer on the terminology and setup of virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, and the Metaverse.
• It will offer a detailed examination of the different approaches to psychotherapy that are relevant in a VR and Metaverse context.
• It will explore how the Metaverse can be used to support psychotherapy that goes beyond standalone VR experiences

Psychotherapy in the Metaverse will help practitioners understand the value and implications of the Metaverse, and related metaverse technologies such as virtual reality technology, and associated challenges

Dr. Bassi is currently looking for clinicians and patients who have had experiences with therapy in the metaverse. If you have had experience doing psychotherapy in the metaverse, please contact our office.

Overview of Psychotherapy in the Metaverse

Although Virtual Reality (VR) headsets have been extensively used in military, education, and gaming, their application in mental health treatment has been slow to gain momentum. Mental health therapists have historically been reluctant to embrace innovative treatment modalities despite the “third-wave” of psychotherapy innovation in the past two decades. However, the COVID pandemic has accelerated the adoption of new technologies, and there is likely to be a similar trend for metaverse-based psychotherapy. As patients demand more diverse and effective therapies, clinicians may struggle with inadequate training and guidance. To address this issue, The Metaverse for Psychotherapy could provide valuable support to clinicians and trainees.

The demand for metaverse-based psychotherapy would arise from the perceived advantages of this modality over traditional or teletherapy. The benefits of metaverse-based therapy may vary depending on the diagnosis, as VR-based therapy has shown promise for anxiety and OCD. In VR-based therapy, the patient is immersed in a virtual environment, while the therapist remains in the physical world. In contrast, metaverse-based therapy would allow the psychologist and patient to meet in the same virtual environment. The similarities and advantages of VR-based psychotherapy could be applied to metaverse-based psychotherapy.

The book aims to explore the advantages and disadvantages of the metaverse compared to other technologies such as teleworking, virtual reality, and social media, and how it differs fundamentally. The book will identify key features and differences to stimulate future research questions. The book will balance concerns for ethics, privacy, and efficacy, which align with the philosophies of many practicing therapists.