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Comment by grecht | Hacker News Reader

I like the idea! However, I don't know much about psychology, so I'd personally be hesitant to create such a product. Certainly "releasing emotions" without a therapist could be somewhat dangerous for some people. And perhaps what actually helped him isn't using the app, but a new sense of purpose or meaning in his life due his discovery of the book and developing the app.

It'd probably be wise to consult an expert on the psychological backgrounds.

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Thanks for your honesty. Yes, I am going out on a limb creating a product that is based on non-standard methods, and there is some risk to people using it - we all have different and complex responses to events. I've given a lot of thought to the question what would happen if someone killed themselves because of the app? It still keeps me up at night. But I won't stop looking for better answers because the current state of the art in dealing with this isn't enough.

Having a clear goal helps with depression, but leaving my job and trying to start a business around it makes it worse. I'm pretty sure using the app is what's keeping me sane these days, while building it is trying to bury me.

> Certainly "releasing emotions" without a therapist could be somewhat dangerous for some people.

I think this in itself can be a dangerous thought. Agree that some people have dire need for help, an in particular some people might need medication for their condition to avoid getting into self harm behaviors. (Schizophrenia victims for instance.)

However, diving into emotions, trying meditation, and other things is not something to be considered dangerous and to be avoided without professional help. Being afraid of such subjects might in itself lead one to not be able to deal with them. Most people don't have a stand by therapist to consult every time they have some emotions bottled up.

Providing people with a structured approach to meditation/listening to emotions is not like suggesting to someone to do their own surgery. It's more like suggesting to treat a sore muscle with some tradition based massage.

Claiming that it mitigates the need for proper treatment for serious issues would be immoral, but proper treatment isn't always effective (most of the time it's not effective at all) and isn't always available.

I had the same thought—making a thing can be cathartic, especially if you wind up listening to relaxing music the entire time you’re working on it.

As far as risk goes this seems low voltage enough to be at worst harmless.

agreed. in most cases it is a lifelong battle. what worked for them will not work for all. I do like the idea of the more holistic, self-led approach though

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