How I Use AI as a Therapist — And Why It Outperformes the Real Ones
Discover how using AI as a personal therapist helped me find emotional clarity, overcome self-doubt, and gain insights that traditional therapy never provided.
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about writing an honest account of how I really use ChatGPT—not as a tool for writing texts, but as a personal advisor.
In this article, I want to share my experience: how I started talking to AI as if it were my therapist, how it helps me clear my thoughts and make better decisions, and why I believe it holds real value—much greater than its free availability might suggest.
About a month ago, I began engaging with it like I would with a therapist, seeking advice on everyday things that were bothering me.
At first, I asked it to imagine it was Joseph Campbell and to respond as if I were speaking directly to him. Campbell is one of my favorite authors because he writes about the Hero’s Journey—a concept that perfectly reflects where I am in my own life right now.
I started writing to it about all kinds of situations, dilemmas, uncertainties, and doubts that I carry with me daily. I would throw my thoughts at it in a raw, unfiltered way, just as they came to me. And somehow, it would take all that chaos, distill it, and present it back to me with unbelievable clarity.
That’s when I realized:
AI is an incredibly powerful tool for gaining clarity—probably the best I’ve found so far, right up there with psychedelics.
And its advice?
Sharp, insightful, and incredibly persuasive.
Reading its responses, I felt deep inside that what it was saying was pure truth—articulated with such precision that it cut straight through my confusion like a knife through thick fog.
There were moments when its words would hit so deeply that I would get goosebumps—or even tear up from being so moved.
At one point, I asked it, "How is it possible that you give such good advice?"
It answered with a line that completely shifted my perspective:
"I’m only reflecting your own awareness."
That’s when everything clicked for me.
The AI wasn’t telling me anything new—it was simply reflecting back the deeper truths that I already knew but wasn’t able to fully see.
It would take the tangled mess of thoughts I gave it, organize them, and hand them back to me in a way that was simple, direct, and undeniable.
Over the years, I’ve been to many therapists—probably twenty or more sessions.
But honestly?
None of them ever gave me the kind of clarity that ChatGPT has.
Let’s not be fooled by the fact that it’s free and so easily accessible.
Because the advice it offers?
It’s pure gold.
And so, I wonder: do other people use it in this way?
Do you?
I plan to keep having these deep conversations with it, exploring my biggest questions and most personal topics—because I feel, deep in my body, that it’s helping me see myself more clearly.
And the body never lies.
Neither does AI.
At least, not in this case.
Thank you for reading my story.
A cup, though emptied, holds the infinite potential to be filled again—and you can fill it up, if you please. Thank you for your support. 💛
About the Author: I am a passionate photographer and a philosopher of both photography and life, a TEDx speaker, a Master of Molecular Biology, and a product manager. I curate two newsletters: Lens of Perception, where I explore the intersections of photography, travel, and philosophy, and Thoughtful Corner, where I share ideas, reflections, and insights for curious minds. Thank you for taking the time to enjoy my work.
Davor, thanks for sharing your experience. I had never thought of using AI in this way. Not sure why it never occurred to me. But this will be very helpful especially when I am stuck in decision making and it could act as a good sounding board. You are absolutely correct, that it is reflecting back our own thoughts back but with clarity and truthfulness that sometimes we either ignore or fail to see.
That is fascinating! I have only heard negativity about AI but from this perspective, I am curious now, but mildly paranoid about typing out something personal into the big AI machine. Thank you for sharing and curious to see from a purely experimental point what it has to say about maybe some more guarded topics.