DreamDirector: Designing a Generative AI System to Aid Therapists in Treating Clients' Nightmares

DOI

Nightmares can adversely affect individuals' mental health and well-being, necessitating timely psychological intervention. Current nightmare therapy has set high requirements for therapists, appeared abstract to clients, and showed poor interaction between them, due to its extensive information input, lack of sensory stimulation, and exclusive reliance on one-on-one conversation. We proposed DreamDirector, a visual-interactive and narrative generative system powered by generative AI. Based on Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) and Nightmare Deconstruction and Reprocessing (NDR), the system can (1) recollect the nightmare scene, (2) interpret the dream with LLM, (3) reprocess the nightmare by generating therapeutic dream visuals using AI painting alongside meditative texts, and feedback with a picture book. Finally, we verified the usability of this system in terms of efficiency enhancement and interaction promotion through a user study with 2 therapists and 16 clients. The results revealed emotional relief among clients, with a positive and impressive attitude toward visual interaction.