Scaling Dutch Therapeutic
Science to the World
SilentHands had a method that worked and a delivery model that didn't scale: one coach, one room, one session at a time. We built the AI that runs a full session on any device. Investors backed the proof of concept before the product was finished.
The short version
A decade of peer-reviewed therapy, stuck behind a coach's calendar. We turned the method into an AI system that guides a full session, checks the hand movements on camera, and measures the result. Investors backed the proof of concept in April 2026. Full production continues from May.
A Method That Works. A Delivery Model That Couldn't Scale.
Since 2007, Rogier Gielen has helped people resolve trauma, grief and anxiety with structured hand movements. Clients describe life-changing results in a single session. Peer-reviewed research backs it up.
Every session needed a certified coach, a room in Amsterdam, a booked slot and a client who could afford it. The people who needed it most couldn't get near it.
The therapy was never the limit. The delivery was.
One coach, one client, one room at a time
If you weren't near Amsterdam, you were out
Session pricing excluded most of the world
No measurement. Progress was self-reported
“I am so happy with my hand movement. It brings me back to who I essentially am. Since applying it to old traumas, I enter a peace and stillness that I have never felt so strongly before.”
“It is almost a miracle. My sleep is completely fine. I make my hand movement in my mind and then I relax and fall asleep. I feel so much better now, so much more rested.”
“After the death of my partner, I was very sad for a long time. After discovering my hand movement, I was able to feel joy again.”
From one office in Amsterdam to any device, anywhere
We didn't replace the therapy. We removed everything standing between it and the people who need it: the coach's calendar, the location, the price.
A session that needed an Amsterdam address now runs from a phone, in any country, at a tenth of the cost. And for the first time, it produces data.
SilentHands coaching in action - the exact therapeutic process, now replicated autonomously
How it works
From November 2025 an Amsterdam team turned two decades of coaching into software, with one rule: replicate the real session, don't approximate it.
The session follows the same five-stage arc a trained coach uses: collect the memory, process it, integrate, regulate, apply. That fixed structure is why results are consistent without a human in the loop.
On top sits real-time AI. The camera checks each hand movement as it happens. Facial analysis measures tension instead of asking. A voice avatar guides the session in the tone of a live coach.
Camera-based tracking checks every movement live. 99.2% accuracy across 29 gestures, no coach needed.
Facial analysis measures emotional tension objectively. Self-reporting is gone.
Warm, context-aware guidance in the pacing and language of a trained SilentHands coach.
Six AI modules run a 15-20 minute session end to end. 92% of users complete it.
The exact structure coaches use in person, so outcomes repeat at scale.
Movement quality, tension and completion scores from every session. A feedback loop that never existed before.
Protocol codified, functional PoC built, 3-5 user tests conducted, strong enough to attract external investment.
Secure infrastructure, annotation dictionary, 15 session recordings labelled for model training.
Voice pipeline, LLM integration, avatar narration system operational.
Custom gesture classifier, full system integration, end-to-end testing and production deployment.
Lead AI/ML Engineer - gesture recognition, LLM orchestration, multi-agent system, full AI stack
Lead Software Engineer, 13+ yrs - full-stack application, infrastructure, scalable architecture
Social Designer - human-centered UX, ethical design systems, impact-driven product experience
Founder - therapeutic protocol, domain expertise, client network, and investor
Autonomous sessions. Measurable outcomes.
The proof of concept did what the brief asked: a full therapeutic session with no coach, no room and no appointment. Movement recognition runs at 99.2% across 29 gestures. 92% of sessions complete. Tension is measured, not guessed.
Cost per session drops 90%. The system is language-agnostic, so new markets don't mean a rebuild.
Investors and real users validated it in April 2026, before the product was finished. Rogier has already demoed it to SilentHands clients. Full production continues from May 2026.