I've made an app sometime ago that based on research (IRT) helps people deal with nightmares. It uses AI to generate positive alternative to a nightmare, and then it keeps track of your revisions, as well as your nightmares, and themes of these nightmares.

I thought I've nailed it.

Research, as well as interviews with people who actually have nightmares lead me on the path of developing the entire app, as well as its future ecosystem.

The idea was, to start with helping people deal with nightmares, and then progressively start offering other CBT/DBT excersises or tools within the app, always associated with some kind of a scientists/doctor or researcher, who either came up with it, or helped develop certain technique.

I've realized it could be THE APP, that people would use before going to a doctor, or reaching out to medical team, that would help them quickly use existing psychological tools to see if that helps.

I've called the app - Loveself.

The idea was to start with nightmares, then insomnia, then somatic muscular pain, and then go for more physical problems that could be symptoms of both psychological and physical problems, where working on mental health might yield some positive results to the entire system.

I've put app on the AppStore, and it didn't really take of. Angry, pissed, I've kind of forgotten about the project, until yesterday when I've stumbled upon Tablespin (VR application that helps to develop soft skills, by role-playing various conversations, and then rating them).

My head started to spin with ideas for VR version of Loveself, where you open the VR App, and it is a classical therapist office, with AI therapist, who actually works with you in a way regular therapist would. There could be skills that one can develop, analysis, test, as well as introduction to those other tools (like IRT).

Mobile app then could serve as a bridge to reality, by simply being reminder to use some technique, or something in real life, while bulk of the action could happen in VR.

VR Therapy, that would make me want to try it.

Those existing solutions, therapy via zoom - it doesn't work, it never did, it never will. It's too much of the same old boring screen that hosts business meetings, games, netflix nights and my taxes - SCREEN is the problem.

But with VR, everything is so brand new, there might actually be a window of opportunity to do something about it, to actually convince your brain to start working on deeper things.

Obviously it will take work, but hey, Therapy VR sounds way more cost-efficient, and way more accesible. Pairing it with AI, allows you to always have a therapist to workout things. Basing it all on natural language GPT (like chatGPT), allows for actual real conversations, not just scripted flows (that I hate so much).

It would work as MVP, but then down the road, it would be smart to start developing its own AI Mode, and collect anonymized data from users.