🤖 The Elephant in the Room: Why I'm Embracing Therapy and AI as Part of Your Healing Toolkit (But Not the Whole Toolbox)

Can AI Support Mental Health Without Replacing What Makes Us Beautifully Human?

Hey there, Kristy here! If you're anything like me, you've noticed that tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are becoming as common as your morning coffee – and for good reason! Whether it's brainstorming new ideas, drafting professional emails, or even deciphering the intricate world of finance (send help!), I've found myself leaning on AI for a surprising variety of tasks. Honestly, sometimes it's just about figuring out the return policy on my latest online purchase. Haha! Those little tedious tasks that used to eat up so much time? AI makes them a breeze.

But beyond personal productivity, I've also been hearing something really interesting from many of you in our therapy sessions: you're using AI in between our appointments to help process and contextualize what we're working on. And guess what? I think that's fantastic!

🤖 Let's Normalize the New Normal: AI as Your Therapy Sidekick

At Off the Beaten Path, we're all about empowering you with resources that support your growth journey. If AI helps you delve deeper and make sense of your experiences, then it absolutely has a place in your toolkit. Recently, more clients have been sharing how they use ChatGPT or Perplexity between sessions, such as asking AI to help understand attachment styles after we've discussed relationship patterns, or brainstorming grounding techniques when feeling activated.

AI can be an incredible resource for:

• Understanding psychological concepts we discuss in therapy

• Exploring different perspectives on challenging situations

• Getting reminders about coping strategies between sessions

• Breaking down complex emotions into more manageable pieces

• Even drafting that difficult conversation with your partner or boss

Think of AI as that really well-read friend who's available 24/7 and never gets tired of your questions. Although, I have to laugh – I saw something on my social media recently (clearly my algorithm has picked up on my thoughts around this!) comparing AI to talking to your drunk friend: enthusiastic, confident, and sometimes surprisingly insightful, but also occasionally way off base and overly sure about things it doesn't actually know.

It's a valuable addition to your mental health toolkit – but it's definitely not the whole toolbox.

💭 What Lives Beneath the Surface: The Magic AI Can't Touch

Now, here's where my therapist heart really speaks up. While AI is undeniably powerful for mental health support, there are some things it simply can't replicate. This is why I remain so passionate about the profound impact of in-person and telehealth therapy.

As therapists with an attachment and trauma-informed lens, our training goes beyond surface-level interactions. We're attuned to what's simmering beneath the surface, those subtle inclinations or unspoken narratives that shape you but might not be fully conscious. These are the beautiful, intricate nuances that often only truly reveal themselves, integrate, and heal when explored in the unique space of a therapy session.

In therapy, we have the incredible opportunity to sit not just with the person in front of us, but also with the "others" – those echoes, influences, and unspoken presences that take up space, sometimes without being fully contextualized. Who else is in the room with us? These are what I affectionately call my "therapist noises" – the collective experiences that contribute to who I am as a therapist, who you are as a client, and who is and isn't present in our shared space.

When we're in session together, I'm not just listening to what you're saying. I'm noticing:

• The pause before you answer certain questions

• The way your breathing changes when we touch on specific topics

• How your body language shifts when discussing different relationships

• The stories that live in your silence

  
  

This deep level of attunement? This is where AI simply can't go.

🤝 The Attachment Conversation We Need to Have About AI and Mental Health

This brings me to the insightful work of Dr. Rachel Wood, who studies the psychology of AI. She's been asking crucial questions about how AI is reshaping the landscape of mental health and wellness. Recently, she emphasized that AI and ChatGPT should be a community-oriented experience, not an attachment replacement.

This really resonates with me. While an AI might offer a seemingly warm "Hey Kristy, how are you doing today? How did that meeting go yesterday?" and give you a fleeting rush, much like a flood of Facebook likes, it's ultimately short-lived. AI cannot replace the rich, complex, and sometimes messy beauty of real human connection.

The therapeutic experience offers a unique opportunity to explore these very attachment needs: to truly see, hear, and connect in a way that AI, with all its brilliance, simply cannot replicate. In our therapy relationship, you're not just receiving care, you're also teaching me, challenging me, and contributing to my growth as both a therapist and a human being.

🎯 Finding the Sweet Spot: Integration, Not Replacement

So where does this leave us in the world of AI and mental health?

I believe the future of psychological wellness involves thoughtful integration. Use AI to explore concepts, practice skills, and deepen your understanding of what we discuss in therapy. Let it help you draft that boundary-setting text or research trauma responses when you have the mental space to process new information.

And then come into session ready to explore the nuances, the contradictions, the body sensations that don't make logical sense, and the patterns that only become visible in the safety of therapeutic relationship.

🌅 As We Navigate This Digital Age: A Gentle Reminder

While I fully endorse integrating AI into your life as a valuable mental health tool, remember that the depth, nuance, and genuine connection found in the therapeutic relationship remain irreplaceable. It's about building a robust toolkit for psychological wellness, where human connection remains the cornerstone.

Healing doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. You can embrace helpful technology and prioritize human connection. You can use AI tools for mental health support and invest in therapeutic relationship. You can appreciate efficiency and value the irreplaceable messiness of being truly seen and understood.

At Off the Beaten Path Psychology and Wellness, we're here to support your whole journey, including the parts that involve new technology and the parts that require the timeless human art of holding space for transformation.

And in case you're wondering, I've utilized Claude to help me write blog posts. I've been putting all of my ideas and thoughts into a Google Doc and then Claude helps me put it into a blog-friendly post rather than following my tendency to muse on and on.

Because at the end of the day, while AI might help you understand your attachment style, it takes human connection to heal it.

---

Ready to explore how therapy can complement your healing toolkit? At Off the Beaten Path Psychology and Wellness, we provide trauma-informed and attachment-based counselling to individuals, couples, and families in Airdrie, Calgary, and Cochrane, Alberta. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your mental health journey – with or without your AI sidekick.