The problem
FND care involves complex symptoms, anxiety and depression for some patients, and services that need careful, specialist language.
Digital health R&D
HypnoThrive / THRIVE-FND.
Immersive hypnotherapy R&D shaped with NHS clinical partners for Functional Neurological Disorder pathways.
- Digital health R&D
- Immersive hypnosis
- Careful claims
Problem and solution
Digital health ideas need the pathway around them.
Functional Neurological Disorder pathways can involve complex symptoms, specialist neurology services and mental-health needs that are not well served by one-size-fits-all digital products.
THRIVE-FND explores whether immersive environments, hypnotherapy scripts and biofeedback-style interaction can support a more tailored digital health experience. The concept brings therapeutic content, XR interaction and patient feedback into the same design process.
The project is deliberately careful about claims because the important work is in development and evaluation: building a prototype that clinical partners and patients can respond to before larger trials or service decisions.
The solution
An immersive hypnotherapy concept combining calming environments, tailored scripts and interaction design for feasibility testing.
How we worked
Developed with NHS clinical partners and FND expertise, with evaluation and patient feedback treated as part of the product question.
Pathway-aware
Designed around a specialist clinical context rather than a general wellness claim.
Immersive scripts
The concept combines therapeutic content, environment design and interaction.
Clinical partners
Shaped with specialist FND, neurology, hypnotherapy and neuroengineering input.
How the concept works
More than a calming scene in a headset.
- Immersive environments designed to support relaxation and therapeutic engagement.
- Hypnotherapy scripts developed with clinical expertise for the FND context.
- Biofeedback-style interaction using signals such as eye and heart-rate tracking to explore personalisation.
- A gradual awakening module that uses passthrough cameras to bring users back into the real world safely.
- Patient and public involvement planned as part of evaluation, so the product is shaped by lived experience as well as clinical theory.
How we worked
A clinical R&D project with the right expertise around the table.
Nudge Reality led the XR product and prototype development, with clinical partners contributing FND expertise, hypnotherapy script development, neuroengineering insight and evaluation planning.
That mix matters because the challenge is not simply making an immersive environment. The product has to respect a specialist pathway, use careful language, and create something patients and clinicians can test together.
What this demonstrates
Healthcare innovation needs clinical seriousness as well as imagination.
THRIVE-FND shows how Nudge Reality approaches early digital health work: define the pathway, build something testable, involve the right stakeholders, and keep public claims proportionate to the evidence.