Although styles of therapy differ, it is widely accepted that the root of all psychological malfunction is pain. In the animal kingdom, the amoeba is about as simple a creature as can be. And yet, even the humble amoeba knows to avoid pain, and somehow recognizes the appropriate moment to flee from a molecule of poison.
In that respect, people are very much like amoebae, but have more freedom of choice in their reactions. Amoebae probably can’t even fight. Their choice of displacement activity is quite limited.
Now, what about the entities that facilitate the healing of pain? Psychologists, for instance — do they absolutely need to be human?
As we have discussed, one aspect of psychological therapy has developed quite rapidly and noticeably into an overwhelming issue. Can excellent results be achieved with less, or even zero, human interaction? Can human connection be adapted and reconceptualized into something equally curative, by perfecting the ability of Artificial Intellligence to imitate high-quality connection?
It’s not that surprising
One might ask, why shouldn’t this be the case? Look, for instance, at books. They are made from common materials, and from symbols that are very different from human speech or breath. Furthermore, vast numbers of humans have been and still are unable to read books — and yet the influence that books have exerted on many of us (for better or worse) throughout the ages is a true marvel.
An important aspect of convincing relatability is in the bag already. Thanks to technology, AI can be engineered to swindle people out of their life savings by speaking in a voice so relatable that a perfectly sane adult will think it’s their grandkid, in desperate need of bail money. Compared to such an accomplishment, the ability to sound like the world’s most empathic therapist is no big deal.
One thought leads inevitably to another
So, why shouldn’t an equally convincing fake entity succeed in helping a person feel worthy and capable of making enormous life changes and losing 100 pounds? Or, if the human in need of therapy is a child wouldn’t it be theoretically possible to dispose of breath and heartbeat entirely, and let AI help the kids adopt, painlessly, a lifestyle through which they would never become overweight in the first place?
How much actual personal contact between patient and therapist is actually optimal? Can a group of other people with similar problems serve the personal-connection need just as well?
Maybe so. Millions of group therapy participants will attest that to go through the self-discovery experience with a cohort of similarly affected others can be incredibly helpful. For many, it has been vital to associate with others who are on the same basic journey, but a little bit ahead.
As Alcoholics Anonymous and similar groups have demonstrated, we also benefit from hanging out with people who travel a little way behind us so we can take our well-deserved turn as experienced encouragers of others on the same path.
(To be continued…)
Image by dbutlerdidit/Pixabay
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