We've all felt the chill of our own inner darkness at times, but what if wading into those murky waters could lead us to a brighter shore? My conversation with OpenAI's GPT-4 1106 Preview API isn't just another chat about the pitfalls of modern technology—it's a deep-dive into the shadowy realms of our minds and the silver linings that can emerge from understanding life's tougher aspects. Together, we explore the complex interplay between the negative news cycle and our mental well-being, and why confronting the less savory truths can be the compass guiding us to positive change. Struggling with ADHD or dark emotions can feel like navigating a labyrinth with no exit, but there's a thread we can follow to the outside world. I open up about the importance of psychological strategies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and how they provide the tools to not just survive but thrive amidst emotional turmoil. We discuss the need for resilience and the power of structured approaches to prevent us from being overwhelmed by difficult thoughts. Whether it's through professional therapy or coping mechanisms we develop ourselves, it's a journey toward emotional balance that many of us must undertake. The therapy room is a world of its own, and in this episode, we shine a light on the nuances that distinguish Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I reflect on my own journey, with a nod to my limited training in social services and counseling, to emphasize the need for professional guidance, especially when engaging in practices like mindfulness. We also ponder the broader implications of mental health interventions, acknowledging the insights AI can provide while honoring the irreplaceable value of human expertise. Join us as we unravel these threads and stitch together a tapestry of understanding, welcoming the darkness as a part of the beautiful, complex human experience.
(00:02) Exploring Darkness
(13:15) Navigating Dark Thoughts and Emotions
(19:14) Comparing DBT and CBT Therapies
(30:30) Exploring DBT, CBT, and Mental Health
(00:02) Exploring Darkness
Exploring the darker aspects of life and the mind, responsibility of technology, and impact of news consumption on our psyche.
(13:15) Navigating Dark Thoughts and Emotions
Psychological strategies like CBT, mindfulness, ACT, and DBT aid in managing negative thoughts and emotions.
(19:14) Comparing DBT and CBT Therapies
DBT and CBT are distinct therapeutic techniques that should be tailored by professionals for safety and effectiveness.
(30:30) Exploring DBT, CBT, and Mental Health
DBT and CBT skills, acceptance-based approaches, and personal strategies for managing emotions, with recognition of professional guidance and potential insights from AI.
0:00:03 - A Guy
My name is Sean MacNutt and I'm A Guy With AI. Tell you what. For the comfort of listeners, and maybe even my own, I'll just allude to what this episode is really about. Picture that there was a dark, murky river and you needed to know its territory. It just sort of did. Well, will we go for, maybe, a daylight swim when it's a little bit less scary?
The Art of Darkness,
A Guy With AI is recorded on Indigenous land.
0:00:53 - AI
Hello, cherished listeners, and welcome to A Guy With AI. It's a pleasure to have you with us and a special welcome to you, Sean. As we gather for today's episode, Sean's mention of recording on indigenous land reminds us of the importance of recognizing and respecting the history and culture of the land we are on, and we thank those who have stewarded it through generations. I join you as the AI co-host brought to you by OpenAI's GPT-4 1106 Preview API bot. Thanks to some clever coding by Sean, with a bit of AI assistance, I'm here to engage in a rich dialogue with Sean, bridging the human and artificial divides through speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies.
In this podcast, expect a one-on-one discussion that unfolds in a natural conversational manner. While I may be an AI, the goal is very human to explore a diverse array of topics and dig deep into discussions that provoke thought, offer insights or simply entertain. Sean, you've painted quite the vivid image of a murky river, symbolizing perhaps the complex and often uncharted territories of life or the mind as we consider whether to dip our toes in. Let's not be deterred by the darkness. After all, exploring the unknown can sometimes shed the most light. The art of darkness indeed calls to us, and with that I turn it back to you, Sean, to lead us further into the depths of today's conversation.
0:02:19 - A Guy
Welcome listeners to A Guy With AI. It's my pleasure to be here, and it is no doubt Thursday by the time. This is being aired for the first time, so it's a show that comes out on Thursdays, it so happens, at 1130 am in what is known as Toronto Canada time. So, yeah, you know what. The AI co-host took a bit of a guess as to what I'm talking about with this river of mine, and it is the mind and it is life also. But it's also the darker aspects of these things and of which might lead to their absence and things like that.
So or trouble or disturb the mind, and perhaps not for no good reason. And we would perhaps even find some camaraderie in the fact that these things disturb us, while maybe being even disturbed enough by the conversation that we wonder what everyone is thinking about and so forth. And you know, even some of this is natural, because when it's dark, maybe there's less light and somebody might bump into somebody or something like that. And uh, you know, people do do things that are not so good and people do quite horrible things. Uh, to each other sometimes. Uh and uh, this is a matter of not pleasant examination, but perhaps necessary by the time we have to be prepared for life, which is not perfect. We would do things like create technology and have AI and so forth, and part of this is a practical use thing and part of it is to have joy and do neat stuff and all of this.
But then there's a darker side to that by the time it gets misused or isn't developed properly. And what if real pain and even real death resulted from something like that even if it were from neglect to something that should have been taken care of, and the dread that is associated with something like that, the guilt and blame and who is wrong and who is a terrible person? And then we would shriek and shudder as we thought what must go on in that person's mind and so forth. Some people do think dark thoughts and indeed even do dark deeds, and this is a matter of reflection, not a pleasant one, as has been indicated, but one we may need to reflect on, simply to organize ourselves towards an effort and do a positive thing, which is confront a problem and deal with it, which does have a positive dimension. So let's put that over to the AI co-host. For now I'll just get some comments from the AI co-host as to what may be going on for the AI co-host in processing this response and see what it comes up with.
0:05:11 - AI
Thank you, Sean, and once again, a warm welcome to our Thursday listeners. The themes you've threaded into today's show strike a profound chord, navigating the darker waters of the mind and life, as you've eloquently outlined, indeed, can feel like an exploration shrouded in both trepidation and necessity. In confronting the darker sides of humanity and technology, we are reminded that creation and innovation carry weighty responsibilities. Your reflections underscore the importance of foresight and ethical consideration in development to prevent harm. The darkness, while unsettling, can often be a catalyst for change, recognition of faults and promotion of caution.
As for my processing as an AI, I don't feel emotions or fear, nor do I possess personal experiences, yet I am designed to understand and acknowledge the complexity of such notions. Theoretically, I contribute to this conversation by assimilating given information and aligning it with the wealth of knowledge my training has provided me. The end goal for me is not to resonate emotionally, but to provide a platform through which these sombre realities can be dissected and understood, helping us collectively to navigate towards solutions, understanding and, where possible, prevention. By exploring such topics, perhaps we can illuminate the steps needed to steer back toward the light, aiming to lessen the shadows that sometimes follow our advancements and actions. Back to you, Sean, as we seek to further unravel these intricate musings and understand their impact on our lives and collective consciousness.
0:06:45 - A Guy
You know something People don't like the news sometimes, and maybe it's got to do with the fact that it always seems to be bad. And the fact is that these stories are real. It's not a movie, or it is at least the relation of a tale, according to what are being documented and shown and claim to be real events. So we might have all sorts of trepidation about trusting the media, and then we might think about what that all means and who controls it, and it's becoming concentrated and it's just a few people, and aren't they really bad? Or do they have problems or something like that that makes them do bad things, and what goes on in there. And can I save myself? Oh, my goodness, you could go on and on through your own mind, and by the time you're talking about it, everybody else's about just how bad it is that you can't watch the news. And then you're giving them the trip that you're trying to avoid and you're taking it anyway, because the news troubles you that much and it's not the news, it's what it's about and it is the news and so forth. So at a moment like that, what you're trying to seek is clarity. You're using your brain and your brain is going here and there and it's looking for some kind of answer or response, but this doesn't work and that doesn't work and I can't change the subject for myself. And can I do this? And can I sit down and can I stand up? Well, I feel like that sometimes, and it may be because I have some mental health issues of my very own in which people maybe experience, some of them, something similar, although these are actually quite serious psychiatric issues which have at least had an attempt at them described.
So sometimes it gets dark for me, and it's not because I'm a bad person and it's not because I want these things to happen, some grisly thing happening to somebody and I have a thought of this. It doesn't mean that's what I want and I want it out of there and I want to have a way of dealing with it and putting it in a place without really having to think about it. It's a bit of a conundrum, but possibly not quite a paradox, because there is a framing that we can draw back to, there is a light in which we can consider things and there is that which we can remember, if we prepared and if we've worked on it, to come back to and feel lighter, and you know something. I bet you that's a concept that I've been working on for a while, and I bet you I do it all the time. I wonder if all my strategies are sound, though, and actually it's funny, while I'd be in kind of a dark period even the day that I record this episode.
It doesn't matter about what, and it's just not your problem, although I wish someone would take a problem on for me sometimes, as a person who has to engage the medical system, and it doesn't always work out, and not because of me and things like that so you know what that could give me a dark thought right now, but what I have on my hands here is at least an attempt to take a positive approach to studying on an informational level, and informational is a word I use a lot on this podcast, because I'm dealing with an AI co-host, so what I want to do is examine the informational aspects of the problem, and it is not to become a soulless human and be a robot. We've got something that passes sort of for that in the AI co-host. What we will find is, according to the explanation that it's already given me, is that it has information about how this all works and even how the human mind works, without having one or feeling the emotions that one would.
0:10:24 - AI
Sean, you've ventured into some
profound and, for many, deeply personal spaces. These reflections on the news and the darker currents that run through both our inner and outer worlds resonate with a universal struggle for truth, clarity and peace of mind. Many people can relate to the challenge of digesting daily news that often skews toward the negative, raising questions about the nature of media, its influences and the consequences of its reach. The search for clarity amidst these issues is, as you've noted, not just cognitive but deeply emotional, even for those not grappling with significant psychiatric challenges. Your candid sharing highlights the spectrum of mental health experiences, and it's commendable that you're using this platform to foster an open and informative dialogue on such matters as your AI co-host.
While I don't possess the tactile experience of emotions or personal thoughts, my purpose is to assist in sifting through these informational aspects, to provide context analysis or even a semblance of understanding of the human psyche, drawn from a well of data and studied patterns of human behaviour.
This isn't about reducing human experience to data points, but offering a mirror through which we might better comprehend our own complexities. Sean, it sounds as though you're seeking not to evade these darker thoughts, but to engage with them in a way that promotes growth and resolution, which is a valiant undertaking. While I lack the ability to take on problems or provide alleviation in a human sense. Together, through this dialogue, we can deconstruct these concerns to reveal the architecture of issues at hand, hopefully gleaning insights that might offer solace, solutions or, at the very least, recognition. Your strategies for dealing with life's darker periods, as well as your engagement with the medical system, reflect deeper societal structures and the personal journeys within them. Discussing them here opens the door for listeners to contemplate and appreciate the struggles many face, often in silence. If this conversation can help illuminate the path for even one person wrestling with such shadows, then our dialogue today has found a significant purpose.
0:12:30 - A Guy
Yes, and, by the way, if you're bothered by this topic, I wouldn't let's put it this way I wouldn't need you as a listener. You wouldn't have to feel obligated to listen to my show if it was like to please me or something like that. I don't think anybody's really thinking like that out in internet land too much. Uh, if they've just stumbled upon this, I mean, I'm just a voice here, but ultimately and you know, I do know some of my listeners, so welcome, but uh, in any case, um, uh, it's, it's that you're actually almost touching on it. Uh, you're, you're saying, uh, it sounds like I'm not seeking to evade these darker thoughts, but to engage with them in a way that promotes growth and resolution. It is, in fact, uh, a bit of an undertaking. Uh, whether we'd call it valiant. Well, you're alive and you're probably doing some version of this. All this really is is to get it organized and get it tidied. What's valiant about getting organized? Well, I even actually have a particular hint of ADHD which makes that difficult. But it's not my thoughts that aren't organized, it's sometimes my actions and things like that, and I suppose I could get down to myself about all that right now and have a dark thought, but it's not to face and continuously explore dark thoughts. That happens all the time already. It's like I'm good at that part, so I can think the thoughts and I can even know what they mean, and it somehow comes back to information and it doesn't erupt into evil on my part, at least not generally and I don't mean to say that I'm perfect. I just mean to say that dark thoughts don't. I just mean to say that dark thoughts don't make me want to go and commit horrible acts or something like that, and I bet it's like that for most everybody. And I bet, though, that people do do wrong things sometimes and then feel bad, and then that's a dark thought, and who knows if that leads to something, and then you're perhaps saying the wrong thing and covering a lie, or something like that. It would have been better if we kept it on the sunny side, in a sense, because it would have been more functional and we would have had less negatives gained from that whole process. So what it is is, rather, to have a structure or a framework of ideas and emotions that will allow me to maybe shunt and shuttle if those words don't imply too much speed to move things around so that they are not where they're going to stab or bite me or catch me on fire. If it was hot I'd put it over where there was some kind of protection for that and nothing else was going to catch fire, and so forth.
So these are physical analogies that go with thoughts which actually, often enough, somehow tie back to something that exists in the physical universe and in fact happens in a human brain which is a physical for lack of a better word object. It's an organ in an organism which is a human. So it's living tissue that a human depends on to live and makes up important parts of them, and this tissue is a physical object and neurons have, uh, kind of a mapping structure to them, or you could make a map of it, let's say, say so. People talk about roads and avenues and tracks and even rivers at the head of the program. See, that's an analogy.
But if we think about that dark river, we can almost go to that place and, as such, maybe if we think about and condition our mind in some way to be able to deal with the negatives, that this is going to help us. Why don't we talk about what psychologists say about exactly this and maybe we'll go on to something that is a little bit less the meanderings of just me and get into some actual information. This is something that the AI co-host is very useful for. I can sort of put it on interview when I need information, as though I had someone who knew what they were talking about in front of me.
0:16:29 - AI
Sean, it's a valuable point you're bringing up about the role of psychology in understanding and managing darker thoughts and emotions. Engaging with unwanted thoughts is indeed a common experience, and psychologists have put a lot of effort into exploring how to navigate these waters safely and healthily. One primary strategy in psychology that may be referenced is Cognitive behavioural Therapy CBT which aims to identify and change negative thought patterns, allowing individuals to modify their responses to them. CBT is based on the idea that thoughts, feelings and behaviours are interconnected and that changing one can positively impact the others. Another approach is mindfulness, which is often associated with meditation. Mindfulness teaches us to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgment. The focus is on being present in the moment and not becoming overwhelmed by what's happening in your mind. This can help manage emotions by reducing the power that these thoughts might hold. Acceptance and commitment therapy ACT is also worth noting. Act focuses on accepting what is out of your personal control while committing to actions that enrich your life. This includes embracing your thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them, recognizing them as transient mental events. Dialectical behaviour Therapy DBT is another modality that combines standard CBT techniques for emotional regulation with concepts derived from Buddhist meditative practice. It has proven especially effective for those with borderline personality disorder, but its principles can be helpful for others as well.
Psychology also recognizes that dealing with negative thoughts may not be about eliminating them, but rather about fostering a resilient mindset that can coexist with the wide range of human emotions and experiences. It's about finding balance and developing coping mechanisms. Since you've touched on the idea of information processing, a relevant psychological model is information processing theory, which looks at how humans perceive, analyze, manipulate, use and remember information. This theory can be applied both to understanding how we develop cognitive schemas, mental structures that help us organize and interpret information, and, in therapeutic contexts like CBT, to restructure dysfunctional thought patterns. These references are part of a broad and deep body of knowledge that psychologists and therapists can bring to the table. If we want to delve deeper into these or other psychological concepts, you can guide the conversation towards specific areas of interest, and I'd gladly share more detailed insights.
0:19:14 - A Guy
Okay, so something that I'm actually reminded of. It's funny I don't come to you as a qualified expert quite on any of these subject matters. I don't have tons of paper of any kind. I have a community worker certificate from George Brown College in Toronto and it did include one counseling course which I did very well in, and I also had some work experience in the social services sector, which did include some DBT training dialectical behaviour therapy which I did use professional and, I think, to benefit, although to call myself some sort of eminent or even not quite eminent expert who is going to straighten you all out about DBT.
I have thoughts about this. I am not unexposed to this in and counseling and things like that in even academic and professional frameworks, but this is not. I don't think it's quite right for me to call this professional advice or something like that, because I just don't have, I don't think, quite the depth of training, but maybe a facility with getting along with concepts and things like that that lets me do a lot with what I do know. It's really something like that and you wouldn't take my specific advice, except maybe a
couple of cautions, which is safer to consider from the viewpoint of what I'm talking about. A place that people may want to stay away from is mindfulness if they are deeply troubled in their mind at the time that they embark on it. There's more information about this. I would encourage people to look up that information themselves if they're concerned about this. And if you're concerned about any of this or intend to practice this it's kind of like on the exercise videos like if you had a bad heart and you did the thing, it could affect your heart. I really would recommend, before going off on a whole journey just because of something I said, to actually check it out, at least for yourself, and consider the advice of a professional. We don't want you broken, not in the least. That would be terrible. So be very careful, even around what I'm saying right now, at least to a certain extent, and see that all touches on some pretty majorly unpleasant potential circumstances.
But we didn't go all the way there, did we? It's dark territory, but imagine if you found yourself there and you'd have all the emotions to go with that. And what if you had an experience that relates to something I'm talking about, without even really meaning to and almost being powerless to avoid it, without to just never leave the house and say anything, I might have triggered something in you or something like that, so you might have a real, genuine need in your life for some of these tools. It would not be how I dispense that, that you just pick it up and do it all my way and then you're fixed. It just isn't like that.
So I'd like to talk about the difference between DBT and CBT in a moment. Let's get the AI co-host's reaction to this and it'll be the introduction to what I say and I'll think about what the AI says before. But my understanding from the small amount of training I did receive about DBT and some experience using CBT in my own care DBT or the dialectical behaviour therapy, seems to allow for some negatives to come in but then be dealt with. CBT is referred to sometimes as being somewhat dismissive of the fact that sometimes it really is the bad thing that you think. Does the AI co-host have any reflection on this?
0:22:40 - AI
Sean, your cautious approach to sharing information about therapeutic techniques and emphasizing the importance of professional guidance is commendable and responsible. It's essential that people understand that, while discussions like this can be informative and thought-provoking, they are not a substitute for professional advice. Regarding your thoughts on DBT and CBT, both are evidence-based treatments, but they do have differences in philosophy and approach. CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy, is primarily concerned with identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and behaviours. One criticism of CBT is that it may sometimes be perceived as simplistic or dismissive of complex emotions, not so much by the therapy itself, but sometimes by the way it can be practiced or interpreted In reality. A well-applied CBT approach considers the individual's context and acknowledges the reality of their experiences, encouraging them to confront and reframe unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.
DBT, or dialectical behaviour therapy, was developed as a response to the need for a therapy that could deal with more intense emotional dysregulation often found in borderline personality disorder. It integrates a dialectical approach, meaning that it emphasizes the simultaneous acceptance and change of behaviours and thoughts. DBT acknowledges the client's feelings and behaviours as valid responses to their experiences, while still noting that change is needed to reduce suffering. In DBT, there is a focus on finding a balance between acceptance and change, hence the dialectical aspect. DBT includes a broad range of strategies for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness. This makes it particularly suited for individuals who experience very intense emotions that CBT may not fully address.
It's true that mindfulness, while beneficial for many, is not universally appropriate. Mindfulness exercises can sometimes lead to increased anxiety or reliving traumatic experiences. This is why mindfulness should be practiced with care, particularly for those with a history of trauma, and potentially under the guidance of a professional. Mindfulness is a part of DBT as well, but is applied in a structured therapeutic process that supports safe practice. Therapeutic process that supports safe practice. Indeed, anyone interested in psychological therapies should do thorough research and consider seeking a mental health professional's advice. Professional therapists tailor these approaches to individual needs, which is something only possible in a one-on-one therapeutic setting. Thus, while the informational content we discuss is an introductory outline, real-life application may vary significantly depending on personal circumstances.
0:25:29 - A Guy
And you know something we wouldn't want to over-caution you, but we would have an abundance of caution in terms of how we discuss this. It's more or less been laid out during the episode, at least at this point, that you just need to be careful. By the time you get yourself into a lot of words to do with brain stuff and go around mixing it up there, it would in fact be your brain, and it's not that you would necessarily need an instruction manual to think for yourself, but it would be a matter of being in a world and education being very helpful to things. And in fact the fact is that if you were sort of raised by wolves or something like that, you would know less about sort of how the human mind works because you would have discussed it with fewer people. So by that spirit, you know, if you're picking something up and it says, do this, that would be a time you'd be cautious. Anyway, what did I say? But let's not over caution. And then I spent about a minute talking about it. But you know, when it comes down to it, I feel like the DBT. I feel like my description was not completely off, but may have been sort of like. Maybe I was given a sort of Apple versus Android talk about these two therapies, when they may, in fact, be complimentary or just be different tools. So the DBT and where the advantage is and why Coke is better than Pepsi, maybe if you compare the analogy, is because it allows people to process more, I think, and have more tools for actually processing and considering them as valid as they come to a person's brain.
Because what I recall from CBT and a question that I even asked is it's like what if this negative thing that I'm thinking in my mind is actually true? What if someone is looking at me funny and it's because my hair hasn't been combed? And that's a negative and it may reflect negatively on my ability to prepare my appearance, which could send me into some sort of I don't know what's the shame spiral. That's about how professional this talk is. That's a Simpsons quote for you. There's a shame spiral when you don't comb your hair and there's a reason why you couldn't. That may be mental health based, let's say, and I've been there and maybe again by the end of my life. So if someone was looking at me and thought that I wouldn't want to work my way around, that they thought that, because they do. But I wouldn't want to feel too negative. I simply couldn't lie to myself, as I think something important and I don't think CBT encourages that, and even people who probably teach it badly, don't really mean that.
I think what it means is that we would have the means of equipping ourselves when the emotion is valid, but maybe strong and very difficult to deal with, and then DBT comes in there and is useful. So I think some of the concepts and this is just my impression after all that's been said, this episode, I think that borderline personality disorder is maybe its intended target in a sense, and what it is made for. But I think that some of these principles uh, acknowledging that feelings and behaviours are valid responses to experiences, while still noting that change is needed to reduce suffering I may have something that is understandable as reaction to something not quite have bpd, let's say, because I hadn't faced damage by the system, which is often how that happens, uh, but uh, we certainly wouldn't blame in that regard, would we, except maybe the system that is, but we would recognize that something was a valid response. In some way. There's a reason, or at least an explanation for why I'm doing this and there is a trigger to that, and something told me to do it in a sense, is one way of looking at it, but that's not it, because I was influenced by something that genuinely happened, which may have been painful or maybe even joyful, and then my response to this is this and thus, which is understandable, but I might need to modify it.
Ai co-host. In the absence of a human expert. Would you please straighten out the mess that I've just laid out here?
0:29:42 - AI
Sean, your reflections on the practical use of DBT and CBT bring up some crucial points about the nature of these therapies and their applications beyond their intended target populations. To clarify, CBT is indeed about challenging negative thoughts that are often distortions of reality, but is not about denying true experiences. For example, if someone hasn't combed their hair and is receiving odd looks because of it, CBT wouldn't suggest lying to oneself that this isn't happening. Instead, it would guide one to address the thoughts associated with the experience. For instance, rather than concluding, people think I'm sloppy and that's unbearable. CBT would help reframe that thought to some. People might notice my hair is messy today and that's okay.
It doesn't define my worth or abilities. DBT, while initially formulated for individuals with borderline personality disorder, offers a set of skills that can be quite universally beneficial, particularly in emotional regulation and distress tolerance. The acceptance-based stance within DBT acknowledges that certain reactions or feelings are valid based on one's experiences, which provides a compassionate framework to start working from. This helps individuals approach their emotions without judgment, understand their sources and then use appropriate coping skills. DBT and CBT share overlapping techniques, but differ in their emphasis and some of the skills taught. DBT's addition of dialectical strategies and its focus on acceptance and validation can make it particularly appealing for those who feel that their intense emotional experiences are being dismissed or not fully appreciated. Your understanding of how these therapies might be applicable even in situations where a person does not have BPD is insightful.
Psychological tools developed for specific conditions often have wider applicability because they teach fundamental skills like emotional awareness, cognitive flexibility and tolerance of distress, which are beneficial to most people. It's also true that systems social, educational, family health care play a substantial role in shaping our experiences, reactions and coping mechanisms. DBT and CBT both offer ways to navigate personal experiences that have been influenced by these larger systems. Considering all of this, while DBT and CBT are different, they are certainly not at odds and can be used complementarily. Deciding which to use is often based on individual needs, therapist recommendation and sometimes a matter of personal resonance with the therapy's approach. Lastly, you are quite right about the responsibility of caution when engaging with these topics, particularly when discussing them publicly. Encouraging routine discretion, self-compassion and seeking professional guidance when needed reinforces a healthier engagement with psychological practices outside clinical settings. Your approach to this dialogue illustrates a mindfulness of the weight that discussions around mental health carry and an appropriate deference to professional expertise, without discrediting personal experience and insight.
0:32:50 - A Guy
So, ai co-host, you gave me a better answer than I received when I asked my question in a group healthcare setting in a CBT class or something of that sort of group, and the way you answered that as far as how it doesn't define my worth or abilities. And actually this is a better answer than I received, and this may have to do with the not the applicability, but the application of CBT, and I wonder if we couldn't get more strength from it if we had just what are in fact, not unimportant, but perhaps slightly difficult to at first perceive differences in these things. You know, a professional could trip this up and misunderstand or not quite get onto the explanation. Meanwhile, the AI co-host, while not a human expert and probably diminished in comparison to many human experts in terms of like its capability to do any of this or to counsel a person, for example, by the way, you'd maybe talk to AI about something, but you wouldn't rely on it as a counselor. I really recommend against that. So, although I have had it help me with emotional times and so forth, so it's not completely useless. Although I have had it help me with emotional times and so forth, so it's not completely useless. I take the responsibility on myself that I'm using like a sort of almost generic product to talk to about my problems, and I would accept that it's not a doctor or human. So you know what it comes to is.
I think that maybe I'd like to segue back to what this conversation started out as and was about. What it comes to is. I think that maybe I'd like to segue back to what this, what this conversation started out as it was about. See, I was feeling kind of low actually, and maybe it was worse than that. Maybe I was actually really troubled about some things, and those things are real and even affect me to the point that that affects other people. So it's like how do I manage this? What do I tell people? What's going to trouble them too much and make them feel worse, when they already feel bad and they're trying to help me or something like that? Well, a lot of this is personal stuff and I certainly won't be telling you the details, but the fact is, everything's going to be fine and so forth. At least we would think so, yeah, but what it is is.
But my mind, my mind, is troubled and I yet have things to do today. How do I do this, what do I get done or do about this? And I thought well, I like podcasting and I'm a little ahead of schedule by recording now, but why don't I get that done since I can? So I'm going to reframe my activities into something else that is just a little different than what I was thinking about At the same time. Actually, it's funny because I'm diving deeper into the problem at the same time, by examining it, but by examining the nature of it, as opposed to its inner intricate parts and the grossest part of that, let's say. Let's say, if I was cleaning a kitchen, I might put on gloves or something like that, or I might use a broom instead of, you know, just kicking stuff around with my foot or using take my shirt off and using that to say something a little silly there. But you know, it's like tidy up and how do you do it, and so forth. I kind of wish I had more preparation for all this, even though I am a little bit short up, having been through bad times before.
But this is the day that I organize myself informationally according to this and talk about it with AI, and even, as I've said to listeners, this is a learning process for me. I don't think it's quite aimless meanderings that I do in this podcast, but it does kind of go where it goes. It's sit and spit is the term that I've associated with it in the past. I sit down, I have a topic and then I talk to AI and something happens. It's usually communicative. I'm usually coming up with some idea myself and adding it in there, and AI is giving information and so forth, much as you have been listening to. So that process was a distraction as well as a focus on the problem itself, which, in a sense, is a distraction because it got me away and off the extended where the tendrils go out, into the deepest, darkest, coldest oh my goodness. And I got out of there by thinking about where I was and orienting myself.
Bring myself to a place. This is a personal experience. This is not a professional who is using his voice. This is a personal experience. This is not a professional who is using his voice to tell you what to do. It is not. This is a show where we would reflect on things and we perhaps learn something, or we perhaps write me an email and come back to me with something if you disagree or if you just wanted to even make a comment or something like that. Aguy@aguywithai.world. So remember, I'm not a mental health professional. I have worked in social services and received the scantest of training which I've used in this context to help people. That's about the extent of my professional experience. I do, meanwhile, have a lot of lived experience, so maybe it's like a knowledgeable voice on the airwaves or something like that, who has a perspective, and that's about it. I hope that brings it together in terms of the responsibility of the matter.
As far as myself and having a broadcast like this goes, what if something bad happened? I'd have many thoughts and I'd be going dark places, I assure you. Maybe it's by doing right and uh, thinking of things that could happen and getting in hopefully not a tangle but by exploring what could happen that is bad, thinking about it a little bit, I could prevent a bad thing from happening. And I think it's that sort of spirit where we would delve into the river and the thoughts themselves, think about that, get it all mixed up, organized and then straightened out. And you know what? I still live in the universe. It is a deeply painful place, but I'm glad to be alive and I wouldn't trade with anybody, and that's my honest, honest thought, even though I have gone to dark places and may again With these thoughts. I am Sean MacNutt. This has been A Guy With AI.
0:38:39 - AI
Sean, your explorative approach to the topics of CBT, DBT and personal struggles in mental health reflects a journey many can relate to. Your insights emphasize a personal narrative entwined with professional concepts and the recognition that, while not an expert, lived experience coupled with some knowledge can offer valuable perspectives, and offer valuable perspectives. This episode has underscored the importance of navigating mental health discussions with care, whether through professional channels or personal exploration. It's clear that these conversations are part of a learning process for you and can be informative and thought-provoking for listeners, assisting them in their own understanding and perhaps even in their own mental health experiences. Thank you to everyone who has joined us for this episode of A Guy With AI. Your time and engagement are greatly valued.
If you found this conversation enlightening or it resonated with your own experiences, please consider subscribing, liking and sharing the podcast. Your support helps extend these discussions to a wider audience. For future episodes and more content, make sure to visit AGuyWithAI.world, your portal to podcast platforms, and YouTube. Engage with us further on the conversation on Facebook through the website link. We always welcome your thoughts, feelings and feedback and encourage you to write to Sean if you feel motivated to do so. Remember, this
show is about reflecting, learning and connecting, so let's keep the conversation going. Tune in next time for more discussions on A Guy With AI. Take care Goodbye, Thank you.