By Dr. Bruce E. Wampold, Dr. John C. Norcross, Christopher Cavazos, MSW, MPA and Sushant Gupta, MBA
When we go to the movies, we might cry, recoil in fear, or laugh – despite the fact that we have not directly experienced what the actors are portraying on film. That’s called a vicarious experience: an experience you have through someone else.
Meomind is the first – and only – tool that applies the power of vicarious experiences to psychotherapy. With Meomind, you listen to other people receiving psychotherapy, and it helps treat your own issues.
Meomind offers hundreds of recorded psychotherapy sessions focused on various topics, which members can listen to – wherever and whenever they want.
Each session is led by a licensed psychotherapist, and includes specific evidence-based exercises. Meomind can be an alternative to traditional psychotherapy, a complement to ongoing therapy practice, or just a tool for general self-awareness and personal development.
Listening to as little as 30 minutes of therapy can lead to a reduction in self-reported anxiety and depression, according to our research. The more time you spend listening to therapy, the greater the reduction in anxiety and depression.
So how does it work? How can you improve your own health and decrease your stress by listening to other people’s therapy sessions?
There are a few key psychological principles at play:
- Reducing loneliness. When members listen to sessions, they identify with others and feel less alone. Some even say, “It feels like I am talking to the psychotherapist.”
- Increasing self-awareness. Members become more aware of the specific symptoms and causes of their issues, and they learn step-by-step techniques for solving those challenges. Meomind helps members track progress. Over time, they start to feel better.
- Learning new skills. When members listen to sessions, they learn about skills and strategies to cope with their issues. With Meomind’s exercises, they learn to use those skills themselves in a safe, guided environment. Plus, they can chat with Meomind coaches for further support.
- Personal support. We have heard hundreds of members say that they feel the psychotherapist’s support and empathy themselves – even though they’re listening to someone else’s psychotherapy session. They feel real validation and understanding.
When you understand the psychology behind Meomind, you can understand its potential. Listening to therapy works because members identify with others, gain new skills, and feel supported.
Meomind is a big new idea, and “listening to therapy” may seem strange at first, but it’s actually not particularly radical. After all, people derive therapeutic benefits from vicarious experiences every day — when they read inspirational stories from others with similar challenges, or when they listen to peers in group therapy sessions.
When you take a closer look at how Meomind works, and how effective it can be, it starts to sound… almost obvious. Like so many great ideas, the question becomes, “Why didn’t anyone think of it sooner?
About the Authors
Dr. Bruce E. Wampold is a pioneer in psychotherapy research with over 60,000 citations and the inventor of the “contextual model” of psychotherapy. He has a special interest in understanding the efficacy of therapy and the importance of the therapist-client relationship.
Dr. John C. Norcross is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Scranton and former president of Psychotherapy at the American Psychological Association.
Chris Cavazos is the former COO at Humana Wellness and an executive with 30 years of experience in behavioral health.
Sushant Gupta is the Co-founder and CEO of Meomind and a Harvard Business School alumnus with extensive executive experience in healthcare management.