Research on crises, post-traumatic growth and near-death experiences show that the confrontation with existential threats have unimaginable potentials for personal development. But does it take extreme circumstances to allow fundamental changes in life?

Sebastian Scheler decided to use his Beautiful Mind as well as his education in psychology to connect it with innovative technology. With his company Innerspace, he is using virtual-reality technology as a practice tool for emotional and social skills. With 3D animation and storytelling, the user walks through what feels like real-life scenarios. This helps people to deal with key situations in their work life; they are able to change their role as a user to open their minds to other perspectives and to learn from that. Wouldn’t you sometimes like your fellow humans to show a little bit more empathy now or then? It’s about to happen!

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx