Why traditional talk Therapy Feels Misaligned

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the whole concept of therapy, especially the traditional format where people pay per hour and keep going for months, or even years. Therapy can be powerful—I’m not doubting that—but it seems like there’s this kind of misalignment. If we’re honest, there are times when therapists, paid by the hour, might not always have the clearest incentives to speed things along. Meanwhile, clients, who probably want progress sooner rather than later, often get caught in the cycle of weekly sessions without the tight feedback loops and tools that could help them level up faster.

There’s so much to gain from a tool that could provide continuous support and nudge people through tighter action-feedback loops. Imagine something like an AI system—always there, offering gentle prompts, real-time feedback, and a system for tracking personal progress. You could dive into a quick reflection, meditate, clear your mental cache, and decide what adjustments are actually working for you. It’d be way more aligned with the user’s need for change and self-understanding than a once-a-week chat.

Of course, for folks who clearly need it, want it, or just genuinely find value in that face-to-face time, therapy doesn’t hurt at all. Just feels like in many cases, things can be a bit misaligned and suboptimal, both for progress and for someone’s pocket.

This isn't about “optimizing” every last part of the human experience—life isn’t some spreadsheet to perfectly balance. And let’s be real: the goal here isn’t maximizing productivity like a machine but understanding why we feel the way we do in the middle of a chaotic world that moves way faster than we’re built to handle. But I think there’s room to explore how we could lower costs and reduce the time it takes to really feel better.

For me, I value my personal time and experiences—living life, having my own space to process things, and understanding myself in a way that’s actually practical and actionable. With the right tools, I could probably make better, more aligned choices for myself, and it’d feel like I’m truly directing my own growth without depending on someone else’s time or pacing.

In a world where everything moves so quickly, it’s nice to imagine a setup that’s as responsive as life itself. Maybe the tools aren’t perfect yet, but the potential is there for something that’s just as insightful and growth-oriented as traditional therapy—without all the misaligned incentives.