Building empathy through mixed reality

As Jennifer explores and simulates psychosis, people often ask her why anyone would want to replicate such an uncomfortable and often frightening experience. “My own personal reason for wanting to do this is that my sister-in-law, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, committed suicide. Simply put, schizophrenia could be described as a condition with vulnerability to psychosis. After her death, I was struck by the fact of how little I knew about psychosis or why she might have wanted to end her life.”

As she began her research on psychosis, Jennifer realized that in order for a person to begin to understand psychotic experiences, he or she would have to experience a simulation of the extreme mental state.

“I like to focus on taboo subjects of the mind and to create tools that help people better understand mental issues,” Jennifer explains. “The ‘how’ is by creating these creative tools of empathy.”

Using innovative technology, Jennifer and her organization roomforthoughts designed tools to simulate entering the mind of a person experiencing psychosis. In one, individuals walk through a labyrinth which features sensor-based walls, directional sound technology, and LED “hallucination poles”. The tools simulate what it’s like to see something “that’s there but not there”, all creating a sense that the visitor’s brain is being hacked.

What makes these projects innovative is not only the technology, but also the creative interactions and safe conversation space that the art provides. After using her tools, the resounding feedback Jennifer receives from visitors is: “I didn’t enjoy it… but everyone must experience this.”

It is this massive success that brought Jennifer to THNK. When she first designed Labyrinth Psychotica as a project for her PhD thesis, Jennifer never expected it would grow into a full-fledged business. “It has all of a sudden become a company. That was inspiring, but I’m doing something that I’ve not been trained for. I’m kind of doing it naturally, but I know I can use a lot of improvement.”

After only one module of the Creative Leadership Program, Jennifer has already felt the transformative power of THNK. “It’s really helping me to focus. The tools that I’ve been given, it’s like you have blurry eyesight and suddenly you’ve been given glasses to see properly. You see your path more clearly, you see what’s realistic. It helps me accelerate and clarify.”

The methods used in program have also reaffirmed Jennifer’s appreciation for creativity’s role in driving innovation for business and beyond. As an artist, Jennifer provides scaffolding to help individuals tap into their imagination; she has observed that the THNK toolkit plays a similar role. By offering an access point to the imagination, artists or even tools like those used in the Creative Leadership Program can facilitate or accelerate problem-solving.