AMETHYST therapies
Standard Therapy
The standard therapy is based on an understanding of the patterns in voices the person experiences, such as the things that make the voices better or worse and coping with them.
The first appointment will involve developing a detailed understanding of your experience of hearing voices.
The next six sessions will focus on how these voices affect you. The therapist will help you find ways to cope and respond. You'll also plan how to manage the voices between sessions.
This therapy, called cognitive behavioural therapy for voices, is effective and follows guidance from experts around the world.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how voice hearing makes someone think or feel about themselves, and the ways this can affect their life. In this video, AMETHYST Trial Therapist, Dr. Felisha Thain, breaks down how CBT can be used to help people to understand and manage their voices.
If you hear voices, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT can help you change your relationship with them. So what actually happens in CBT for voices? Let's break it down. So first, we will work together to map out the voice hearing cycle. So this means looking at triggers, like stress, low mood, and feeling isolated. We will also explore the thoughts someone has about their voices or themselves. For example, "My voice will harm my family" or "No one will love me because of my voices". Then we look at the emotions that come up, such as fear, sadness or anger. And finally, the behaviours, the things that people do in response, like avoiding others, isolating or spending long periods of time listening to and talking back to their voices. Once we understand the cycle, we can step in and intervene at different points. If low mood or stress are triggers, we might try scheduling enjoyable activities or using relaxation and breathing techniques. If we're focusing on thoughts, we could explore them in more detail too. Is there evidence that the voice is right? Are there other, more helpful explanations? Sometimes we even run experiments, like testing what happens if someone doesn't follow a voice's command. Many people find that the voice isn't as powerful as it seems. Finally, we might also target behaviours. So this could mean supporting someone to reconnect socially or helping them set boundaries with their voices so that their voices have less of an impact. The important thing is that CBT for voices isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. It's always tailored to each person's needs, goals and experiences. So we focus on what feels most relevant and helpful. Ultimately, CBT for Voices isn't about making the voices disappear or trying to change the voice. It's about helping people to regain control and feel empowered, even while hearing voices.
AVATAR therapy
Avatar Therapy is similar to standard therapy, but it uses special software to create an avatar that represents a voice that the person hears. Creating an avatar is a bit like creating a character in a video game.
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The avatar enhances the therapy experience. It lets you role-play different coping strategies with your therapist's support and guidance.
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Though avatar therapy is new, it has now been studied with hundreds of participants. Results so far show it is effective, and many participants are satisfied with the therapy. Past studies suggest it might work better than standard treatment, but it's still unclear. The AMETHYST study aims to find this out.