Face It

A pilot study at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry seems to show that putting a face to the voices they hear may help some who are suffering from schizophrenia. In the study, patients who heard disembodied voices were given the opportunity to select an avatar that matched the voice they heard. Via computer, a therapist was then able to speak to them through the avatar in real time. Little by little, the therapist teaches the patient how to control the voice.
   “Even though patients interact with the avatar as though it was a real person, because they have created it, they know that it cannot harm them, as opposed to the voices, which often threaten to kill or harm them and their family," explains Professor Julian Leff, one of the creators of the avatar system. “As a result the therapy helps patients gain the confidence and courage to confront the avatar, and their persecutor": http://www.care2.com/causes/how-do-you-help-schizophrenics-give-their-hallucinations-faces.html