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THERAPY: ChatGPT, false memories and weaponised ‘therapy speak’

September 17, 2026 · 57 min

Show notes

This week we’re revisiting our ep on the dark side of the therapy boom, from unqualified therapists planting false memories in vulnerable people and an obsession with labels to ‘therapy boasting’ on Hinge and the weaponisation of ‘therapy speak’. Plus, what makes a good therapist, and can AI offer an accessible alternative to what has become a luxury? We’ll be back with our usual pop culture debrief next Thursday!


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Recs:


  • Dangerous Memories podcast 
  • My therapist told me Mum had abused me. She hadn’t, Times
  • The therapist who planted false memories, Pandora Sykes, Substack
  • How the language of therapy took over dating, NYT
  • Nobody has a personality anymore, Substack
  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns users not to trust ChatGPT agent with sensitive or personal data, Decoder 
  • Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens, NYT
  • He Had a Mental Breakdown Talking to ChatGPT. Then Police Killed Him, Rolling Stone
  • What does bad therapy actually look like? Stylist
  • Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help? BBC

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