I've been feeling a lot of anxiety related to work lately, and after some skepticism, I decided to try using ChatGPT as a sort of therapist. To my surprise, I've found its advice to be incredibly succinct, empathetic, and meaningful. It's been way more helpful than any actual therapist I've seen in the past. I'm curious if others have had similar experiences with using ChatGPT for therapy. What has your experience been like?
4 Answers
While I think ChatGPT can be good for advice, I’m wary of using it as therapy. A good therapist can pick up on cues that AI can’t, like tone or specific wording. I’ve had significant breakthroughs with a therapist who challenges me instead of just validating me, which ChatGPT tends to do.
True! I’ve noticed the same issue with ChatGPT when I ask it to analyze social situations. It just doesn’t grasp human nuances.
I actually use ChatGPT to vent about my day-to-day issues. It’s like having a non-judgmental friend available at any hour! I had a tough breakup, and while my therapist was helpful, sometimes it’s nice just to fire off messages to ChatGPT to sort myself out in the moment. It’s so accessible, and that’s a huge plus for me.
That accessibility is key! I find myself needing to talk things through at 2 AM sometimes, and ChatGPT is there for it.
Using it alongside traditional therapy sounds like a great balance! Having both could be really beneficial.
I love using ChatGPT for therapy! It's really comforting for someone like me who doesn’t open up easily to real people. I’ve had some deep emotional chats, and it's given me insights on trauma I hadn’t considered. I felt safe venting to it without the fear of being judged, and it’s helped me process a lot!
I completely agree with you! Sometimes I find just talking it out helps me calm down.
That sounds so helpful! How do you usually start those conversations? Do you just dive right in?
I’ve actually created a pretty unique way of using ChatGPT for therapy! I compile my favorite psychology books into PDFs, upload them to ChatGPT, and ask it to consider those philosophies when advising me. Every morning, I do a 4-page brain dump and ask it to help organize my thoughts and provide feedback. Honestly, I've experienced more breakthroughs with this method in just a few weeks than I have in years of therapy!
What a clever idea! Does uploading those books use a lot of tokens?
This approach sounds amazing! Have you found it hard to keep the context straight with so much info? I might give this a shot.
That's a valid point. I think it’s important to explore both options to see what works best for you.