The Hero’s Journey: Using Story and Immersion to Improve Care

Immersive technologies can transform a patient’s role in some of the most significant challenges faced in healthcare. The Hero’s Journey framework can help achieve this by reimagining the patient not as a passive recipient of care, but as the hero of their own health adventure. This panel will discuss how clinicians, designers, and technologists are using narrative and immersive tools to empower individuals in their own healing and growth, while supporting and extending the care providers’ effectiveness.

With examples such as VR exposure therapy for trauma and anxiety, gamified rehabilitation experiences, and immersive patient education, our panelists will showcase how storytelling and immersive design are enhancing patient engagement, adherence, and emotional resilience, and how this can be blended into mainstream healthcare practice in the future. The session blends inspiration and expert insight, offering both a creative lens and real-world examples illustrating the use of XR and AI with the aim of improving health outcomes.