For Me² – Me to the Power of Two – clients send in a childhood photo of themselves, taken between the ages of 7 and 13. From this, a realistic deepfake video of their younger self is created. Deepfakes are usually associated with deception or disinformation. Me² uses the same technology for an ethically sound, therapeutic purpose.
Using this deepfake video, clients can meet their younger self in a virtual world or an online meeting and comfort it. Afterwards, they switch perspectives and experience being comforted by their adult self. This comforting encounter with the younger self is meant to strengthen self-compassion.
In psychotherapy, this type of externalization is considered common practice. However, it requires that those affected are able to picture the child in the first place. With Me², this act of imagination is taken over by the immersive deepfake video, enabling a realistic encounter. This also benefits people with a weak visual imagination.
The project builds on an earlier one funded in the 2nd Project Call: “The impact of deepfakes in virtual reality scenarios for mental health therapy“. Me² is funded in the 2nd Founder Call.