Imagine a Place Where All Residents Are Avatars

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Chiswick’s Georgia Foster Launches Virtual Hypnotherapy workshop

The world's first virtual hypnotherapy workshop was launched this week within Second Life - a 3D virtual world where all residents are self-created (often anonymous), Avatars - an Avatar is your persona in the virtual world.

Presented by Georgia Foster, a leading Clinical Hypnotherapist and creator of The Drink Less Mind Programme, the 45 minute seminar included an experience of hypnosis to educate people from around the world on how to drink less alcohol. People attended the event as their Avatar and interacted with other participants just like they would in a real world situation.

Foster's Avatar persona - Divinity Dovgal - presented a slide show and talks in front of the seated participants as she would at a real world event speaking live into the inworld environment using ground-breaking new technology called SoundReach. This system allows Foster to speak into a landline handset and her voice is then streamed into the venue in Second Life.

Once the introductory session was completed, Foster directed the participants to lie their Avatars down on the specially created mats to begin the hypnotherapy session. "People at home or at work will be able to set themselves down in a comfortable spot and go into a state of hypnosis from the sound of my voice," says Foster.

According to Georgia Foster, the Second Life virtual community represents an amazing way in the 21st century to provide hypnotherapy to people anywhere in the world. Many people are secretly concerned with their binge drinking and are embarrassed to admit it and unable to change it. They worry they might be an alcoholic and yet Georgia believes many people are suffering from being an emotional or stress drinker. Participants will learn why they drink how much they do, how to change this habit and how to manage the emotions which drive and control it.

“People have an enormous empathy with their Second Life Avatar personas which will allow them to participate in The Drink Less Mind session with total immersion, despite being essentially in their own home or office, (anywhere where there is wireless broadband) potentially tens of thousands of miles from where I will also be conducting it in my Avatar persona. Overcoming distance and limitations for people around the world who are unable to come to a physical hypnotherapy workshop for The Drink Less Mind makes this an incredible global opportunity!” says Georgia.

Without a doubt, anonymity within Second Life will allow members to explore the issues of overdrinking, overeating or self-confidence which they may find hard to face in real life – and with other people present. Issues of emotional overdrinking and binge drinking in particular are very sensitive and many people resist changing this learned behaviour and feel there is a stigma attached to their 'secret' drinking, so they don't seek help and continue with the self-sabotage.

Georgia Foster will be hosting The Drink Less Mind workshop on 24th March in Hammersmith. For further details see www.georgiafoster.com.

March 8, 2007