What questions should I ask my AI mental health assistant?
By Siri Bandagiriye · You don't need the right question; "I don't know why I feel like this" is a fine start. Useful openings include asking for help putting a feeling into words, slowing down a looping thought, or practising a hard conversation.
You don't need the right question. "I don't know why I feel like this" is a perfectly good start. Some openings people find useful:
- "Can you help me put words to what I'm feeling?"
- "I keep thinking about something. Can we slow it down?"
- "I have a hard conversation tomorrow. Can I practise it?"
- "What's one small thing I could do tonight?"
- "Help me figure out who I could reach out to this week."
In Saati, Find a Way helps when a thought is stuck on a loop. Make Room helps when something is true and can't be fixed, and you need to carry it more gently. Find Your Purpose is a slower conversation about what matters to you.
What the research says
The American Psychological Association suggests asking an AI for research-backed strategies, for example: "What is an evidence-based strategy to help me worry less?"1
Because AI tends to agree with you, the APA recommends asking it to challenge your thinking, for example "What might I be missing?", and asking for several options instead of one answer.1
Written by Siri Bandagiriye
I've been a Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher for 30 years, and for six years a chaplain with Correctional Service Canada, sitting with people in crisis. I built Saati in Halifax as a companion for the ordinary hard days. If you'd like to see what it's like, it's free to try.