Biodigital hypnotherapists and AI therapy: key psychological and clinical risks explained

Marie-Nathalie Jauffret () and Éleonora Abreu
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Marie-Nathalie Jauffret: UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur, SIC.Lab Méditerranée - Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) - UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur

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Abstract: The integration of biodigitalization into mental health care may lead to the development of technologically assisted hypnosis systems using avatars, AI, and deepfake technologies. These systems have the potential to replace human hypnotherapists, creating an illusion of supervision, misleading patients into believing they are guided by real humans. This illusion raises significant ethical and psychological risks, as patients may not be aware that they are interacting with non-human entities. Technological trends suggest that biodigital practitioners could replace human hypnotherapists within the next decade, raising serious concerns regarding the future of therapeutic hypnosis. This study investigates risks such as cognitive manipulation, increased suggestibility, and reinforcement of harmful behaviors when hypnosis is conducted without human oversight. Semi-structured interviews with 20 early- to mid-career hypnosis professionals revealed that 90% expressed concern over increased suggestibility, 75% warned of risks related to psychological decompensation, and 100% emphasized the inability of automated systems to adapt to patients' emotional states. These findings underscore the critical dangers associated with biodigital hypnotherapy in the absence of human supervision. This research is pioneering in its focused analysis of therapeutic interactions with biodigitals and the significant clinical risks they may introduce.

Keywords: Hypnosis; Biodigitalization; AI therapy; Psychological risks; Mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-06-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-neu
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Published in Health & New Media Research, 2025, 9 (1), pp.33-44. ⟨10.22720/hnmr.2025.00087⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05592139

DOI: 10.22720/hnmr.2025.00087

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