{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Holding Space with Dr. Barker","title":"Is AI Becoming Your Therapist?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1600,"description":"Would you tell an AI something you have never told another human being?\nPeople are turning to artificial intelligence for more than information. They’re discussing their marriages, childhoods, anxiety, sexuality, trauma, and loneliness—and asking chatbots questions that once belonged in conversations with trusted friends or therapists.\nIn this episode of Holding Space, psychologist Dr. Christopher Barker examines what happens when a machine becomes part of someone’s emotional life.\nAI is always available. It doesn’t look bored, interrupt, appear judgmental, or grow tired of hearing the same question. For someone who has never experienced reliable emotional support, that responsiveness can feel profoundly comforting.\nBut feeling understood is not necessarily the same as being understood.\nDr. Barker explores:\n• Why people can develop genuine emotional attachments to AI\n• The difference between reassurance and psychotherapy\n• Why good therapy does more than validate your perspective\n• How disagreement and discomfort can create psychological growth\n• When AI can be a useful tool for reflection and skill-building\n• How chatbots can help users organize thoughts or prepare for difficult conversations\n• When AI begins replacing rather than supporting human relationships\n• Why serious mental health concerns require clinical judgment and human responsibility\n• What therapists should ask clients about their use of AI\n• The deeper human needs driving artificial companionship\nAI may help someone find words, review a therapeutic skill, or prepare to speak honestly with another person. But when a machine becomes the only place someone feels understood, the technology may no longer be supporting connection—it may be participating in the problem.\nThe most important question may not be, “Can AI become your therapist?”\nIt may be: “What were you looking for when you started talking to it?”\nFollow Holding Space for more thoughtful conversations about psychology, trauma,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/_xInCAOpmnxTST9MAap8yTAWdTwCufZlz4tBKVdDgRY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xYWU0/YTRlZDA1NDg2YzJk/OTcwY2Y0OWQ4YzRk/ZDMzMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}