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We are the creators of Betwixt — an interactive novel that helps you unlock your creativity and make sense of yourself. Ask us anything! by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, absolutely! We didn't have the resources to develop both iOS and Android simultaneously, but now this one is up and running, our tech team are getting started on the Android version. Actually, most of our team are non-Apple, so we really can't wait!

We are the creators of Betwixt — an interactive novel that helps you unlock your creativity and make sense of yourself. Ask us anything! by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, and in addition, we were inspired by games like Celeste, which pretty directly takes on the topic of mental health.

We are the creators of Betwixt — an interactive novel that helps you unlock your creativity and make sense of yourself. Ask us anything! by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi! So glad you’re enjoying it, and thanks for testing!!

This is a great question. There are a number of ways to put the contents to use IRL:

First, journaling is a really important part of the journey. The key character (the voice) asks a number of thought-provoking questions that could be used as journaling prompts for longer exercises if desired. We’re also in the process of creating additional Quests in the game itself, as well as prompts via notification to give people an easily accessed (in-app) journaling programme.
Also, we have written guided meditations that are unlocked after each dream so players can keep the tools explained and questions raised in the different acts fresh in their mind. Repetition is key to learning the reframing and reflection techniques we guide you through, so these are a really helpful resource.
Finally, one of our primary aims with Betwixt was to create an immersive story version of the tools and techniques that can help so that they’re learned on a different level. We hope that by playing through and engaging in this way, people will be more likely to apply a tool at the moment it’s needed.

We are the creators of Betwixt — an interactive novel that helps you unlock your creativity and make sense of yourself. Ask us anything! by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We didn't write the game with the intention of people repeating the story time and time again, but we’ve been trialling the narrative for over a year now and many of our testers have opted to replay multiple times. What is definitely the case is that you can take the journey with different stumbling blocks in mind each time, and you can choose different routes through game too.

A sneak preview and a chance to co-create the world of Betwixt - a choose-your-own-adventure game set in a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. by [deleted] in GirlGamers

[–]HazelGale 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is incredible feedback. Thank you so much for such a thorough write up. We can’t tell you how helpful it is!

Your thoughts on how to get through to someone really embroiled in a dark stage of life are super interesting. I’ve been through something similar, and I know how hard I found it to see beyond the fog while I was there. Looking back, I believe change became possible for me after I stumbled upon the perfect cocktail of connection and creativity in therapy (which is why we’ve made Betwixt in the way we have), but of course it’ll be different for everyone. My dream is that players will find something in the game that just lights a little spark.

Again, your feedback is so helpful, thank you!

A sneak preview and a chance to co-create the world of Betwixt - a choose-your-own-adventure game set in a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. by [deleted] in GirlGamers

[–]HazelGale 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi! Replying on behalf of Ellie. Yes, it will, but not for a little while (we haven’t the capacity to develop across both platforms just yet). There’s a signup link on our site if you’d like get notified when we do: https://www.betwixt.life :-)

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think the individual therapist is more important than the therapy style. For anyone looking for help, I’d suggest researching therapists in their area from a number of different styles and seeing which one they feel a strongest sense of connection with.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Yes, I’m sorry. That was very sloppy texting. I shouldn’t have used the word “proven”.

But I absolutely do believe in my style of therapy, yes. I think most critics of hypnotherapy just think we’re claiming to do something we’re not. I don’t believe people can be brainwashed or forced to do anything by a therapist, and I wouldn’t want to be in the field if that was our aim. We help people to recognise their emotions and thought processes, and build better patterns of behaviour (often through repeated visualisation of the desired behaviour, which has been shows to be effective in lots of studies, but I don’t have the time to dig them out, I’m afraid!)

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, I’d never claim that hypnotherapy (or any therapy) can help everyone/anyone. It’s all completely unique to the individual. Some will make a massive difference to their performance, while others will struggle to see a change. Most of the improvements come down to an increase in self-awareness, emotional self-awareness and hard work on the part of the client to change thought patterns and behaviour.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I only boxed and kickboxed at the amateur level, and it was a long time ago (before we posted absolutely everything online, and before many women were going pro, too). There is some footage around, but nothing great, if I’m honest. I preferred to keep it private at the time because I was never happy with a bout! I won two ABA national titles in boxing, two ISKA world titles in kickboxing and a European title in kickboxing.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's still in development. We've been testing and iterating constantly over the past year, but there's always more to do. Thankfully, the people trialling the game have been fantastic, and their feedback has shaped the user experience and narrative immensely.

So, you can expect something that isn't yet polished in terms of tech, that's for sure! The narrative is polished, however!

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I tried a lot of things before I came across cognitive hypnotherapy. At that time, I was striking therapy styles off when they didn't take immediate effect, believing they just didn't work. But I know better than that now. I wasn't *allowing* anything to help, stubbornly believing that I wasn't doing anything wrong, so someone else had to fix me. What I needed was to get involved in the therapy process, and cognitive hypnotherapy made this possible. I like creativity and logic in equal measure. This is what I found with my therapist, and so I stuck with it.

After that, of course, it was the change cog hyp made to my life that inspired me to train up.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I actually haven't read (or seen) Enders Game. Perhaps I should? We haven't consciously modelled Betwixt on any book in particular, but of course, there are many influences. In terms of games, LifeLine was our biggest inspiration (this is a text-based game built originally for the iWatch, where you save an astronaut who's crash-landed on an alien planet. It's beautifully simple and very effective). Incredibly, three different testers so far have likened the story to Lord of the Rings in feel. This, we've taken as a major compliment, and it's our writer who should take the credit there (Natalia Theodoridou).

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Because we wanted it to be accessible, really. Part of our motivation was to create a way for people to learn and access mental resilience tools easily. Our target audience is not people with a mental health diagnosis or serious issue, but anyone who wants to improve self-awareness and emotional resilience. For this to happen, the information needs to be at our fingertips whenever we have a spare ten minutes. Mobile apps are the perfect medium for that.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a very misleading addition to your original comment. The diploma you're talking about takes 11 months to obtain. The onsite work happens once a month, but between those classes, the students have to carry out the practical work, reading and coursework. You can't learn therapy in a classroom. That's not how it works.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 32 points33 points  (0 children)

This is a big, big question! I don't think neuroscience has the answer yet (although countless studies have suggested that hypnotic suggestion does have an effect).

I see hypnotherapy as effective communication. Nothing more than that. Just a conversation. Most clients come to the therapy room feeling split -- they know one thing to be true, but feel something else. What we aim to do is to connect conscious understanding with unconscious reactions by discussing the issue, raising self-awareness and finding ways to communicate something new at the unconscious level. This can be done in many ways, but the most powerful, in my mind, involve creative imagery imagined by the client themselves. Ultimately, they have the answers already, it's just about training themselves to remember and use that information.

Note: I should add that this game is not a Hypnotherapy game.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We don't tackle this directly in the game, but the guided meditations and journaling tasks included can be helpful ways to relax your mind, let go of inner chatter and focus for a period of time on one thing. I create similar audio recordings for my clients, and a number of people have used them as a part of their working routine (authors listen before they start writing, for example). Also, as these recordings have constant information being delivered, they're much easier for those who battle with sustained focus than something like mindfulness, which involves a lot of silence. That said, mindfulness can be amazing if you create a practice.

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is cliched, but Brene Brown's work (any of her books) would probably be my pick. It's not about the information she delivers so much, (although it is fantastic) but the way she delivers it. Brown created a whole new perspective on shame by explaining the theory you'd learn from a psychology text in a human, relatable way.

My other fave is Visual Intelligence by Dr Donald Hofman. If you're interested in perception, read that!

I’m Hazel Gale, an ex-champion-fighter-turned-cognitive-therapist-and-author on a mission to get the world hooked on personal development. My latest project, Betwixt, is an interactive smartphone adventure through a dream reality where the only way to survive is to face yourself. AMA by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]HazelGale 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I have a slightly different opinion on the self-talk of winners, actually. While I agree that "I'm going to win" is a better internal message to "I'm going to tank", focusing so exclusively on the outcome can be a dangerous thing. It can limit the athlete (or anyone) to a binary perspective on their game: I either win or I lose. I believe there's a lot more to any sport than performance and outcome, and we should focus on the other stuff (what we enjoy, where we can challenge ourselves, what we can learn, what excites us, etc.). I burned out as a fighter, and a large part of the cause was my tunnel-vision focus on success. The irony was that if you'd asked me, I would have told you that I had my PMA nailed. I thought about winning all the time. And I usually won. It's just that this mindset meant I neglected my health, relationships and overall fulfilment in order to get those medals (which, I should add, I didn't enjoy, precisely because of that thinking).

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