New Psychiatric Technique Asks Schizophrenics to Engage in Dialogue With the Voices in Their Heads

Hello!

Avatar Therapy: A New Frontier in Treating Psychosis

Researchers have developed an innovative approach to treating psychosis by creating a digital “avatar” for the often distressing voices heard by patients and engaging with them as if they were real individuals.

As The Guardian reports, multiple clinical trials have now demonstrated the effectiveness of this method, known as avatar therapy. A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine shows that giving a voice and face to the internal auditory hallucinations experienced by people with psychosis can offer a promising treatment option.

How Avatar Therapy Works

Similar to customizing a character in a video game, participants design digital avatars that represent or symbolize the voices they hear. These may take the form of critical authority figures or menacing entities. A therapist then uses the avatar on screen to simulate the voices, helping patients gain control over the persecutory experiences.

This straightforward yet powerful technique has consistently produced encouraging outcomes. The digitally assisted sessions help reduce distress, lower suicidal thoughts—a frequent issue alongside schizophrenia and psychosis—and, in some cases, eliminate the voices altogether.

Origins and Evolution of the Approach

The therapy was originally developed by the renowned British psychiatrist Julian Leff, a schizophrenia specialist who passed away in 2026. Despite its name, the treatment’s impact extends beyond visuals.

“It’s called avatar therapy, and that sounds like it’s primarily about the visual representation, but not everyone has an existing image that goes with their voice,” explained Neil Thomas, director of the Voices Clinic in Melbourne, Australia, and lead investigator of the country’s avatar therapy trial. “I think the auditory transformation is particularly powerful.”

A Participant’s Experience

One participant in the UK’s Avatar 2 trial, Claire, shared with The Guardian that she had heard voices for more than 40 years before starting treatment. As an abused child, her first voice—a man’s—urged her to jump from a window at age 10. After decades of suicide attempts and hospitalizations, she began avatar therapy.

Although concerned the sessions might intensify her psychosis, Claire noticed the voices had disappeared after just four of her twelve scheduled sessions.

“My aim wasn’t to get rid of them—just to get along with them,” Claire told the newspaper. “I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to let go. I’d never really been on my own. As abusive as it was, it’s still a relationship.”

Global Research Status in 2026

While researchers in the UK, Australia, and Denmark continue their research into the treatment in 2026, access remains limited in the United States. As STAT News reports, Americans seeking avatar therapy may still have to wait years before it becomes available.