A curious pattern emerged within the last year:

People — usually friends or coaching clients — keep coming to us, almost sheepishly, and "confessing" that they sometimes use AI (particularly ChatGPT) for emotional support.

The thing is … we've used it for emotional support, too! AI has a lot of qualities that make it less messy than your average human.

It's a great listener, it's endlessly patient, and it has access to an infinite amount of knowledge and potential solutions. Plus, using it is (sadly) a LOT cheaper than what you'd pay your average therapist or coach.

But that certainly doesn't make it better than a human mental health professional. As helpful as AI might be, it can be equally as harmful—not all of the friends and clients who came to us ended up having a positive experience with their "robot therapist."

So, we asked two of our coach friends (and former podcast guests!), Amanda Johnson and Chelsea Jewel, to join us for a deep-dive exploration into the murky waters where AI mixes with mental health.

Listen in as we get into...

• How all four of us started out using AI, and how it quickly evolved for each of us
• Why it's easy, even if you're a coach or therapist, to have blind spots when it comes to AI
• How using AI as your therapist can actually bring up MORE trauma
• Our advice about how to interact with AI in an emotionally healthy way

This episode is SO thought-provoking. The questions that we tackle are ones that all of us should be taking seriously in a world where it's increasingly difficult to know what's real!

Leave a comment after you've listened to let us know what resonated most from this conversation.

MORE ABOUT AMANDA

Amanda Johnson is a trauma-informed and somatically trained, certified life coach and reiki master. Her passion lies in the belief that each of our hearts is guiding the way to our most expansive lives - but that to live from the heart, we need to first get in touch with who we really are, not who we've been told to be. This requires an exploration and understanding of our nervous systems, the patterns we have running in our bodies and minds, and how our energy works, so that we can bring ourselves into balance and deeper connection with our intuition. Through her work at Heartspark, Amanda is dedicated to creating a safe space for anyone with a curiosity about themselves to explore how to authentically be in relationship with Self, Sacred Partners and Source.

You can find her at heartsparksoul.com and on Instagram @heartsparksoul

MORE ABOUT CHELSEA

Chelsea Jewel is an Intuitive Astrologer, Soul Alignment Coach, and Energy Healer who is committed to using her gifts and vision to help co-create a more beautiful and just world for all beings. Chelsea's work combines a mix of storytelling, astrology, shadow work, and energy awareness to help her clients reconnect with their deeper soul essence and reclaim creative power within their life stories. Part healer, part artist, and part spiritual activist, Chelsea deeply believes that we are on the verge of a collective shift in consciousness and that our deep inner work, along with the creative actions that spring from it, serves a vital role in restoring humanity's relationships within the greater web of life.

You can find her at chelseajewel.com and on Instagram @chelseajewel33

PAST CLARITY ON FIRE EPISODES WITH AMANDA & CHELSEA

A deep dive into manifestation with Chelsea Jewel (March 2022)

From totally shut down to feeling your feelings again with Amanda Johnson (June 2023)

Bonus Book Club! Attached by Amir Levine & Rachel S.F. Heller (March 2024)

Exploring the nervous system with Amanda Johnson (May 2024)

ARTICLES ABOUT AI & MENTAL HEALTH

Wired: OpenAI Says Hundreds of Thousands of ChatGPT Users May Show Signs of Manic or Psychotic Crisis Every Week

New York Times: Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here's How It Happens.

The New Yorker: I Treated ChatGPT Like a Therapy Patient. What It Said Should Worry Us.

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