A few questions people ask us.

MyWhatIf Foundation is a veteran-led applied-research nonprofit, developing a hope intervention for trauma recovery and rehabilitation. A Hero brings a meaningful What if question, and a structured, personalized narrative process works from that question to strengthen hope, agency and purpose. It runs in a browser. The Approach page walks through how the question becomes a session.

No. MyWhatIf is a structured trauma recovery and hope intervention. It is not psychotherapy and not a substitute for it. It is designed to produce measurable psychological outcomes, and potentially clinically meaningful ones, which is why the Foundation runs clinical studies rather than asserting the result.

No. Generative AI is one component inside a broader proprietary intervention architecture. A model may write the language a Hero reads, but it does not decide where the intervention goes. AI is part of the engine. It is not the intervention. That is also what makes the experience possible to hold to a protocol, and therefore possible to review and study.

A Hero is what MyWhatIf calls a participant. The word is deliberate. They are not here to be fixed. They are here to take an active role in what comes next.

Because the first move belongs to the person. A Hero’s own question sets the direction, which keeps the work on possibility they chose to explore rather than a future the system decided for them. The entry point also has a lineage in solution-focused practice.

“What-if is the miracle question that opens the door to the possibilities for therapy. It does this by simply asking people to consider what an alternate reality might look like – one in which things are different, better, and problems are resolved”

It is intended for people affected by trauma and by the disruptions in hope, future orientation, agency and purpose that often follow. It is not exclusive to people with a diagnosis. Anyone who feels stuck or uninspired, or who is looking for hope, meaning and purpose, could benefit from the work. It is also used inside approved hope intervention programs run with partner organizations, and eligibility for a specific study or program is set by that program.

No. MyWhatIf is designed as its own structured intervention. It can also sit alongside other care where that is appropriate, and it does not replace therapy for people who are in it.

No. MyWhatIf does not require anyone to recount or relive a traumatic event in order to take part. A Hero chooses what to explore and what to share. Difficult material can still surface when a person looks honestly at their own future, so the experience is built to move at the pace the Hero sets.

Something you actually care about. Questions can be about the past or  future, identity, relationships, work, meaning or what comes next. There is no correct form. The most useful question is usually the one you would not say out loud. A Hero gets to ask just one new What if question per week, which keeps each one meaningful and carrying real emotional stakes.

It is a structured program. The initial length is 6 to 12 weeks, set by a baseline resilience score. A Hero who needs more time can request it and will be granted additional weeks. Length can also vary by implementation, since a specific study or partner program may set its own.

A phone or a computer. MyWhatIf runs in a browser, so there is nothing to download and nothing to install.

English, Hebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian and Russian are the currently supported languages and cultures. We add support by request, following the partner organizations and countries that invite us to collaborate.

Studies recruit through the institutions that host them, and eligibility is set by each protocol. The Foundation also adds people to studies directly, and we welcome any NGO or organization that wants to enroll its members in our studies on trauma, depression, chronic pain and related conditions. Projects lists the work underway. Write to us to be considered, or to bring a study to your own site.

Yes. HIPAA compliance is one part of a broader privacy and trust model, which Safety and privacy sets out in full.

What the Hero gives it. Text and voice are in use today. Where a program enables them, video and behavioral signals may be included, and those are still being validated through the research program. Inputs are used to personalize the experience. Safety and privacy describes each input and what it contributes.

Voice analysis contributes signals and biomarkers relating to emotion and to stable psychological characteristics. No single signal describes a person, and none is treated as a complete profile on its own. These signals are not a diagnosis and are not used to make one.

Yes. If you ask us to delete your data, we delete your personally identifiable and protected health information. Safety and privacy explains what that covers.

Not automatically. Using MyWhatIf and taking part in research are two separate decisions. If you consent to research, relevant anonymized data may be shared with researchers under the applicable ethics board and IRB approvals. Researchers do not receive your personally identifiable or protected health information.

No. MyWhatIf is not an emergency response service and is not monitored as one. Anyone in immediate danger should contact their local emergency services.

Yes. MyWhatIf is being evaluated through research collaborations with universities, hospitals and research partners. Projects lists what is running and with whom.

We are getting there. We have encouraging early signals, and early signals are not evidence from completed controlled trials. The Foundation is running multiple studies, in several countries, designed to build a more rigorous evidence base, testing different populations, and conditions. The Science page marks which claims rest on published research and which are hypotheses we are testing.

Yes, as part of the longer term pathway toward regulated clinical use, insurance reimbursement and work inside government systems. Authorization is not required for every deployment. MyWhatIf can also be deployed as a hope intervention where that is legally and operationally appropriate.

Yes. Collaboration can take the form of research, a clinical study, an implementation, or a program built for a specific population. Not every MyWhatIf project is a clinical study. The useful starting point is a conversation about the people you serve and what your site can host.

No. It is designed to extend access to a structured intervention, not to replace clinical judgment or human relationships. Where clinical involvement is appropriate, MyWhatIf is meant to work with it.

Because we wanted the mission to stay in charge. The Foundation is built so access, evidence and public benefit drive decisions rather than engagement metrics or the highest price a person in distress will pay. The organization should be aligned with the people it serves, so we optimize for outcomes and impact rather than engagement or profit. This form is also what lets us protect the mission and the ethical use of our technology and data. Philanthropy funds development and evidence building now, and the long term plan includes reimbursement and responsible model licensing.

MyWhatIf Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 99-1882303. Donations may be tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Through partner organizations we can also accept tax deductible support for our programs in Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom. We accept gifts of cash, stock, crypto and in kind. We are not able to give tax advice.

Development of the intervention, the clinical research program, real world implementations, access for people who could not otherwise reach it, and the privacy and safety infrastructure all of it depends on. Impact sets out what is funded now and what the next stage needs.

Yes. MyWhatIf was built by people who brought what they knew. Clinical and research collaboration, technology, storytelling, design, translation, introductions and community access are all useful. Tell us what you have and what you would want to work on.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, with clinical and scientific oversight from its Clinical Development Board, and is operated by its leadership team.