iPRISM app for iPhone and iPad

1.What are PRISM and iPRISM?
PRISM stands for Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure. It is a method that transforms complex questions into a visual rendering of an individual’s unique perspective. It allows for reflection on alternatives and can reveal unconscious associations. PRISM has been used in the field of medicine and psychotherapy for more than 15 years and has been thoroughly evaluated in many scientific projects (www.prism-coop.ch). iPRISM is the App that brings PRISM to the iPhone and iPad.

2.What can iPRISM offer?

According to Heraclitus it is not problems themselves, but rather our perceptions of problems that determine happiness or unhappiness. iPRISM aids in shifting the perspective from a problem to one’s relationship to a problem. Instead, it measures, on one hand, aspects of an issue in terms of distance and spatial coordinates to one’s self. On the other hand, it helps to make the relations to various aspects of an issue more easily ascertainable, tangible and conscious.


3.Why does iPRISM work?

iPRISM solves the problem of having to express individual vital issues exclusively with words. Instead it expresses relations to an issue as spatial distances from a person. Linguistic valuations such as “what is expected?”, “what is right?” or “what is good?” take a subordinate role. In its place, the focus becomes the spatial arrangement (for example, “is closer to me”, “is further away”) representing aspects of an issue.

4.What makes iPRISM special?

The basic principle of iPRISM is radically simple. It is free of language demands, culture-free and operable with the swipe of a finger. iPRISM is a tool that boosts personal competence in the ability intensively to reflect upon questions from different perspectives. Neuroscientific studies have shown that PRISM measures distances that correspond to specific frontal lobe activity.

5.How can I customise iPRISM?

iPRISM always measures the relationship between me (yellow disc) and up to nine aspects (coloured discs) of a to be determined issue (white surface).
To adapt iPRISM to my requirements, I need to answer four questions: 1. What relevant matter do I wish to reflect upon (white surface)? 2. What questions do I have exactly? 3. Which aspects (up to nine) of this matter do I want to set in relation to me and to each other? Positioning and moving the coloured discs helps to reveal my motivations and interests.

6.How should I formulate questions for iPRISM?

All aspects regarding an issue are spatially located with relation to the yellow disc. A question must be so formulated that it either implicity or explicitly suggests a statement about the spatial distance of an aspect to this reference point. I need to formulate a question such that it allows for the placement of coloured discs on the white field (for example, „what role does aspect A play for me?“, „How important is aspect B to me?“).

7.Why can’t I move the yellow disc?

The yellow area is a fixed point of reference from which I measure the various aspect relations. In contrast the frame of reference itself (white surface) as well as the chosen thematic aspects (coloured discs) can be variably configured according to the question at hand.

8.Why are the discs coloured?

Colours are very individual sources of information. I allocate individual aspects such that they trigger an association (for example, red=illness, yellow=risk, purple=hope, white=chance, black=loss).

9.Why are there only nine coloured discs?

The limit of nine coloured discs improves the overview, increases user friendliness and makes PRISM easier to use.

10.What does the yellow disc stand for?

The yellow disc in the lower right hand corner of the white background represents the core or the „Self“ of an individual. It can also represent a central characteristic of a person, for example, “my knowledge”.