I found this absolutely fascinating, Matt. It sure feels like you've put a lot of thought and effort into how you're using Claude as an important tool. I can think of many people who struggle with writing who probably wouldn't find Claude helpful but appreciate that your gift gives you a leg up when it comes to this type of supplemental work. I'm impressed with your courage to try this and your candor in sharing your experience. I'm also so pleased that you've found Claude helpful. As always, it's been delightful to read something you've written!
As a psychotherapist (who herself uses Claude for processing/working through the inevitable “fires” that get lit as life is lived), I’m appreciating your nuanced perspective and sharing a bit of your lived experience with using AI in this way. I’m exploring with my clients ways that they can do the same, always keeping in mind that while AI is indeed not replacement for therapy, it does have the potential to be quite helpful when skillfully used as a support tool.
Thanks Elisa. I honestly think that people who are overly self-aware and unkind to themselves may be in the unique position to benefit from it more, because they’ll challenge and correct instead of basically using it as a validation machine. When I talk to people about this, something I point out is that you can just as easily condition a therapist or friend to always see you as a victim or to always take your side — it requires a humility and a desire to actually improve/get better on your own terms for this to be effective.
You raise a good point regarding the ability of highly self-aware and self-critical people to flag any over-validation…however it gets tricky here, as those who are particularly self-critical may get triggered by even minimal validation from Claude. As humans we all have blindspots that get in the way of self-awareness of course and in turn can impact our use of AI as a support tool. This is all super interesting stuff and I look forward to learning more, both as a user of Claude and a therapist helping my clients navigate this terrain!
I perhaps need to clarity. What I mean is that someone needs to be able to "know what feels right/authentic TO THEM"; when Claude points that out, or reinforces, or just nudges in the right way, the person needs to be willing to let that feeling of validation or backup rock.
Thanks for sharing! Great post.
Just checked Claude out...game changer! Thanks for sharing ✨
It's been very nutty how well it's provided a missing piece of the puzzle.
I found this absolutely fascinating, Matt. It sure feels like you've put a lot of thought and effort into how you're using Claude as an important tool. I can think of many people who struggle with writing who probably wouldn't find Claude helpful but appreciate that your gift gives you a leg up when it comes to this type of supplemental work. I'm impressed with your courage to try this and your candor in sharing your experience. I'm also so pleased that you've found Claude helpful. As always, it's been delightful to read something you've written!
Fascinating, Matt. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks for the kind words!
As a psychotherapist (who herself uses Claude for processing/working through the inevitable “fires” that get lit as life is lived), I’m appreciating your nuanced perspective and sharing a bit of your lived experience with using AI in this way. I’m exploring with my clients ways that they can do the same, always keeping in mind that while AI is indeed not replacement for therapy, it does have the potential to be quite helpful when skillfully used as a support tool.
Thanks Elisa. I honestly think that people who are overly self-aware and unkind to themselves may be in the unique position to benefit from it more, because they’ll challenge and correct instead of basically using it as a validation machine. When I talk to people about this, something I point out is that you can just as easily condition a therapist or friend to always see you as a victim or to always take your side — it requires a humility and a desire to actually improve/get better on your own terms for this to be effective.
You raise a good point regarding the ability of highly self-aware and self-critical people to flag any over-validation…however it gets tricky here, as those who are particularly self-critical may get triggered by even minimal validation from Claude. As humans we all have blindspots that get in the way of self-awareness of course and in turn can impact our use of AI as a support tool. This is all super interesting stuff and I look forward to learning more, both as a user of Claude and a therapist helping my clients navigate this terrain!
I perhaps need to clarity. What I mean is that someone needs to be able to "know what feels right/authentic TO THEM"; when Claude points that out, or reinforces, or just nudges in the right way, the person needs to be willing to let that feeling of validation or backup rock.