Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios

Reyhan Şahinbaş; İnci Zaim Gökbay

doi:10.47000/tjmcs.1781975

Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios

Abstract

Avatar therapy is emerging as a promising approach in the treatment of psychological disorders, leveraging the power of virtual reality and personalized avatars to help individuals cope with various mental health issues. Emerging as an alternative to traditional psychotherapy methods, avatar therapies are conducted within a scenario where psychotherapy schools are adapted to virtual environments. In this context, this study aims to explore how psychotherapy methods commonly used in the treatment of mental disorders can be integrated with avatar therapy scenarios, and the potential benefits and challenges of this integration. It also aims to evaluate the future potential of avatar therapy scenarios by examining the adaptability of these scenarios, especially their integration into the Metaverse environment. This study emphasizes the feasibility of applying traditional psychotherapies within immersive virtual reality settings to support the treatment of psychiatric disorders, advocating for the expansion of these study scopes into Metaverse environments for future research.

Keywords

References

Abramowitz, J.S., The practice of exposure therapy: relevance of cognitive-behavioral theory and extinction theory, Behavior Therapy, 44(2013), 548–558.
Baer, L., Elford, R.D., Cukor, P., Telepsychiatry at forty: what have we learned?, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 5(1997), 7–17.
Bebbington, P., Why psychiatry has to be social, International Review of Psychiatry, 13(2010).
Beck, A.T., Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders, International Universities Press, 1976.
Boeldt, D., McMahon, E., McFaul, M., et al., Using virtual reality exposure therapy to enhance treatment of anxiety disorders: identifying areas of clinical adoption and potential obstacles, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10(2019).
Craig, T., Rus-Calafell, M., Ward, T., et al., AVATAR therapy for auditory verbal hallucinations in people with psychosis: a single-blind, randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(2017), 31–40.
Dhelim, S., Chen, L., Ning, H., et al., Social behavior and mental health: a snapshot survey under COVID-19 pandemic, arXiv (Cornell University), (2021).
Elford, R., The Child Telepsychiatry Project—A Randomized Controlled Trial: A Comparison of Initial Child Psychiatry Assessments Conducted via Telemedicine to Assessments Conducted Face-to-Face, Thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1997.

Falconer, C.J., Rovira, A., King, J.A., et al., Embodying self-compassion within virtual reality and its effects on patients with depression, BJPsych Open, 2(2016), 74–80.
Frankl, V.E., The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2010.
Freeman, D., Haselton, P., Freeman, J., et al., Automated psychological therapy using immersive virtual reality for treatment of fear of heights: a single-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(2018), 625–632.
Freeman, G., Maloney, D., Body, avatar, and me: the presentation and perception of self in social virtual reality, Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 4(2021), 1–27.
Freud, S., An outline of psycho-analysis, The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 21(1940), 27–84.
Ghaznavi, I., Gillies, D., Nicholls, D., et al., Photorealistic avatars to enhance the efficacy of selfattachment psychotherapy, 2020 IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality, 2020.
Giosan, C., Popoviciu, C.-M., Zhamaliyeva, S., et al., Evaluating the efficacy of support groups in the metaverse for Ukrainian refugees: a protocol for a randomized clinical trial, Trials, 25(2024), 697.
Hasan, M.K., Virtual reality in telepsychiatry is a new horizon for immersive mental health therapy, Middle East Current Psychiatry, 31(2024).
Hayes, S.C., Luoma, J.B., Bond, F.W., et al., Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(2005), 1–25.
Jung, C.G., Hull, R.F.C., The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Princeton University Press, 1980.
Leff, J., Williams, G.C., Huckvale, M., et al., Avatar therapy for persecutory auditory hallucinations: what is it and how does it work?, Psychosis, 6(2013), 166–176.
Leichsenring, F., Hiller, W., Weissberg, M., et al., Cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy: techniques, efficacy, and indications, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 60(2006), 233–259.
Lupton, D., Quantifying the body: monitoring and measuring health in the age of mHealth technologies, Critical Public Health, 23(2013), 393–403.
Maples-Keller, J.L., Yasinski, C., Manjin, N., et al., Virtual reality-enhanced extinction of phobias and post-traumatic stress, Neurotherapeutics, 14(2017), 554–563.
Park, J., The effect of virtual avatar experience on body image discrepancy, body satisfaction and weight regulation intention, Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 12(2018).
Perls, F.S., Stevens, J.O., Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, Real People Press, 1969.
Rehm, I.C., Foenander, E., Wallace, K., et al., What role can avatars play in e-mental health interventions? Exploring new models of client– therapist interaction, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7(2016).
Rizzo, A., Koenig, S., Talbot, T.B., Clinical virtual reality: emerging opportunities for psychiatry, FOCUS The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 16(2018), 266–278.
Robillard, G., Bouchard, S., Dumoulin, S., et al., Using virtual humans to alleviate social anxiety: preliminary report from a comparative outcome study, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 154(2010), 57–60.
Rogers, C.R., A Way of Being, Houghton Mifflin, 1980.
Samuelson, M., Carmody, J., Kabat-Zinn, J., et al., Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Massachusetts correctional facilities, The Prison Journal, 87(2007), 254–268.
Seabrook, E., Kelly, R., Foley, F., et al., Understanding how virtual reality can support mindfulness practice: mixed methods study, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(2020).
Straker, N., Mostyn, P., Marshall, C., The use of two-way TV in bringing mental health services to the inner city, The American Journal of Psychiatry, 133(1976), 1202–1205.
Turkle, S., Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, Basic Books, 2011.
Vass, E., Gerlinger, L., Egerv´ari, L., et al., Exploring the acceptability and feasibility of a modified virtual reality-based AVATAR therapy in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a case series report, Acta Psychologica, 250(2024), 104520.
Wallach, H.S., Safir, M.P., Bar-Zvi, M., Virtual reality cognitive behavior therapy for public speaking anxiety: a randomized clinical trial, Behavior Modification, 33(2009), 314–338.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Artificial Reality

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Reyhan Şahinbaş ^*
0000-0001-8156-0795
Türkiye

İnci Zaim Gökbay
0000-0002-4488-1642
Türkiye

Publication Date

October 13, 2026

Submission Date

September 11, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 5, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 18 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.47000/tjmcs.1781975

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA65PK52WY

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Şahinbaş, R., & Zaim Gökbay, İ. (2026). Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios. Turkish Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science, 18(3), 810-818. https://doi.org/10.47000/tjmcs.1781975

AMA

1.Şahinbaş R, Zaim Gökbay İ. Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios. TJMCS. 2026;18(3):810-818. doi:10.47000/tjmcs.1781975

Chicago

Şahinbaş, Reyhan, and İnci Zaim Gökbay. 2026. “Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios”. Turkish Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science 18 (3): 810-18. https://doi.org/10.47000/tjmcs.1781975.

EndNote

Şahinbaş R, Zaim Gökbay İ (October 1, 2026) Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios. Turkish Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science 18 3 810–818.

IEEE

[1]R. Şahinbaş and İ. Zaim Gökbay, “Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios”, TJMCS, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 810–818, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.47000/tjmcs.1781975.

ISNAD

Şahinbaş, Reyhan - Zaim Gökbay, İnci. “Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios”. Turkish Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science 18/3 (October 1, 2026): 810-818. https://doi.org/10.47000/tjmcs.1781975.

JAMA

1.Şahinbaş R, Zaim Gökbay İ. Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios. TJMCS. 2026;18:810–818.

MLA

Şahinbaş, Reyhan, and İnci Zaim Gökbay. “Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios”. Turkish Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science, vol. 18, no. 3, Oct. 2026, pp. 810-8, doi:10.47000/tjmcs.1781975.

Vancouver

1.Reyhan Şahinbaş, İnci Zaim Gökbay. Future Prospects of Avatar Therapy Scenarios. TJMCS. 2026 Oct. 1;18(3):810-8. doi:10.47000/tjmcs.1781975