AReframedChair: Reframing the Empty Chair through Dyadic and Triadic AR-Mediated Self-Embodiment

Paper Title

AReframedChair: Reframing the Empty Chair through Dyadic and Triadic AR-Mediated Self-Embodiment

Publication Info

• Topic area: Augmented reality (AR) applications in psychotherapy and self-dialogue techniques.
• Keywords: Augmented reality, psychotherapy, Empty Chair technique, self-dialogue, dyadic interaction, triadic interaction, emotional regulation, self-compassion, motivation, cognitive reframing.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Traditional Empty Chair Technique (ECT) in psychotherapy relies heavily on clients' imaginative abilities, which can limit its accessibility and emotional immediacy. Existing AR systems focus primarily on dyadic client-avatar interactions, neglecting triadic formats that include therapists.
• Significance: Enhancing the emotional immediacy and accessibility of the Empty Chair Technique could improve therapeutic outcomes, particularly for individuals who struggle with imagination-based self-dialogues.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research has demonstrated the efficacy of VR and AR in therapeutic contexts, but most systems are limited to binary interactions. The potential of triadic AR systems, which include therapists, remains underexplored. This study seeks to address this gap by integrating AR into the Empty Chair Technique and evaluating its impact on emotional and cognitive outcomes.

Solution

• Proposed approach: AReframedChair, an AR system that reimagines the Empty Chair Technique by enabling self-dialogue with a personalized avatar representing the user's past or future self, in both dyadic and triadic interaction modes.
• Novelty:
  1. Introduction of AR-reframed Empty Chair interventions, demonstrating their effectiveness compared to traditional methods.
  2. Comparison of two AR-reframed modes (Dyadic and Triadic), revealing scenario-dependent advantages.
  3. Identification of distinct roles of the avatar and therapist in emotion regulation processes.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Participants engaged in two scenarios: reconnecting with a past self and embodying an ideal future self.
  • The Dyadic mode involved client-avatar interaction, while the Triadic mode included a therapist in the interaction.
  • The system allowed customization of avatars (image, voice, background) and used a backend architecture integrating speech processing, image processing, and speech-avatar synchronization.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • In the Past-self Scenario, the Dyadic mode showed the greatest improvement in valence (+1.55) and self-compassion (+1.23), and a significant reduction in arousal (-0.40).
  • In the Future-self Scenario, the Triadic mode produced the largest gains in valence (+1.20), motivation (+1.30), and reflection (+1.20), along with a significant increase in arousal (+0.75).
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Both AR modes outperformed the traditional Empty Chair technique in affective and cognitive outcomes.
  • The Dyadic mode was particularly effective for past-oriented scenarios, while the Triadic mode excelled in future-oriented scenarios.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • A between-subjects study with 60 participants (20 per group) compared the traditional Empty Chair technique with Dyadic and Triadic AR modes.
  • Measures included valence, arousal, self-compassion, resilience, motivation, and reflection, as well as engagement, psychological distance, and therapeutic alliance.
• Limitations and future work:
  • The study focused on short-term outcomes and non-clinical populations, leaving long-term therapeutic effects unexplored.
  • Potential carryover effects between scenarios were not controlled.
  • The use of HoloLens 2 may limit generalizability; future studies could involve lighter AR devices and clinical populations.

Summary

AReframedChair integrates AR into the Empty Chair Technique, offering Dyadic and Triadic modes for self-dialogue with past or future selves. The Dyadic mode was most effective for past-oriented emotional repair, while the Triadic mode excelled in future-oriented motivational contexts. The system demonstrated significant improvements in affective and cognitive outcomes compared to traditional methods. Future work should explore long-term effects, additional scenarios, and clinical applications to further validate and expand the system's therapeutic potential.