#embodied-practice

#embodied-practice

AI tools like ChatGPT have become pretty much inescapable. The generative chatbots are designed for mental outsourcing, helping humans research, learn, ideate, and even create. As these tools gain in popularity, there's a question of discernment that seems to be haunting us all: what is AI useful for, and what undertakings should be reserved for humans alone? Having ChatGPT help craft an itinerary for an upcoming vacation, for example, is helpful; having it finish a song you've been writing is...less so.

When I was studying writing in college, my personal essay class was my favorite. I'd already been journaling for almost a decade, so I understood the power of exploring life experiences through the written word. Journaling wasn't immediately helpful for me. In my younger years, I often wrote to ruminate, beat myself up, count calories, or otherwise reinforce patterns that didn't support me. But as I worked through childhood trauma in therapy and through other approaches, my writing gradually became healthier.