Artificial Intelligence is poised to revolutionize countless service sectors in the coming years, and the addiction and mental/behavioral health space is no exception. Various applications of Generative AI (GenAI) are either in use or coming soon.
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Examples:
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AI-generated therapists that provide on-demand 1:1 counseling
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App-based virtual companions ("sober buddies") to help individuals at risk of relapse
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Suicide prevention AIs that keep at-risk individuals in contact long enough for the real prevention specialists to engage​
​Regardless of the technology, these applications are based on a client talking to an AI chatbot just as they would their human therapist, meeting facilitator, or peers in a mutual support meeting.
Because at the end of the day, recovery is a conversation.
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Recovery Movie Meetups enhances these discussions by incorporating visual depictions of addiction and recovery characters and themes from the movies featured in our program.
To us, seeing is a great path towards healing.
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But what if Hollywood movies weren't the only source that were available? ​
With the rapid advancements in AI video rendering technology, it is now possible to create and deliver highly personalized addiction and recovery scenario videos, or “mini-movies,” specifically tailored to address an individual’s unique addiction or dual-diagnosis mental health challenges during treatment.
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​​Here’s an example of a simple GenAI mini-movie we recently created to help motivate a client to change their addictive behaviors by illustrating the potential impact on their family:
Here’s another example of a mini-movie designed to motivate a client to stay committed to their recovery journey by showcasing the benefits of adhering to a recovery plan after completing treatment:
In the next few years, these personalized mini-movies won’t just be watched by clients—they will feature the clients as the central characters.
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The same deep learning technologies used to make “deepfake” videos will make it possible for a client to actually star in their own mini-movie.
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We call this Audiovisual Immersion Therapy (AIT). Here's how it works:
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Individual therapists or facility clinicians will upload a photograph or 3D scan of the client's face, some photographs of loved ones, and then enter text prompts into the AIT interface like...
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##Client has suffered from an AUD for last 10 years, voluntarily committed to treatment, has wife aged 40 and son aged 15, fears losing his job and his marriage...##
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The system would then render AIT mini-movies that the client could watch either 1:1 with their therapist, or in mutual support meetings.
At first these mini-movies would be based on simple pre-established scene templates like those featured in the videos above.
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With machine learning, AI could eventually generate entirely new locations, storylines, dialogue, and set designs independently, using the client’s complete medical and biographical history as training data.
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Clinicians could then quality-check their "pre-render", and if they determined the mini-movie lacked sufficient therapeutic value, they could make adjustments and render an entirely new version with minimal effort.
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Here are some hypothetical AIT mini-movies using generative AI.
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In critical self-reevaluation exercises, a client could watch themselves:
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Being handed a pink slip by an employer with a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy
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Living on skid row, begging for handouts to buy beer, or offering sexual favors in order to score some heroin
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Connected to life support in an ICU as their loved ones hold hands and nervously pray for their recovery from a fentanyl overdose (see video sample #1 above)
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Handcuffed and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit as a judge convicts them to 30 years for vehicular manslaughter
In inspirational self-affirmation exercises, a client could watch themselves…
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Joyously reuniting with their spouse and young children after they return from rehab
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Graduate Summa Cum Laude from a university, with their family members celebrating the accomplishment (see video sample #2 above)
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Receive a new and better job offer from the same boss who fired them 6 months earlier​
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The potential benefits of AIT are potentially enormous. If our existing clients' experience with the Recovery Movie Meetups Program is any barometer, we may see:​
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Enhanced Self-Awareness: When a client sees their lived experiences play out on screen it may help them better understand the patterns, triggers, and consequences of their addiction
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Emotional Catharsis: Reliving pivotal moments in their lives may facilitate the release of pent-up emotions, leading to emotional healing (this could be especially powerful in trauma counseling)
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Empathy: Viewing their life from a third-person perspective could encourage self-compassion, reduce feelings of guilt or shame, and help individuals forgive themselves
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Strengthened Connections: Sharing the mini-movie with loved ones or a support group could foster understanding, empathy, stronger relationships and faster healing
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Validation: Seeing their story portrayed can validate their struggles and achievements, reinforcing their journey as meaningful, deserving of recognition, and ultimately heroic
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AIT mini-movies may still be a few years away, but they have the potential to become a dynamic, low-cost, and scalable therapeutic complement to the Hollywood films currently used in Recovery Movie Meetups mutual support meetings at licensed facilities worldwide.
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Questions, Comments or Concerns about AIT?
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