“I've had the therapist's number saved in my phone for three months. Every time I go to call, I feel sick to my stomach and put it off another week.”
Being scared of therapy doesn't mean you're weak. It means you understand what therapy asks of you: vulnerability with a stranger about the things you've never said out loud. That's genuinely terrifying. ILTY can be a low-pressure space to start talking about hard things — think of it as practice for vulnerability.
Research shows that fear of therapy is one of the most common barriers to seeking help, right alongside cost and access. You're not being dramatic. The act of sitting across from a stranger and revealing your deepest struggles goes against every self-protective instinct you have.
Maybe you're afraid of being judged. Maybe you're afraid of what you'll uncover. Maybe you're afraid of crying in front of someone, or of being told your problems aren't serious enough. Maybe you're afraid it won't work and you'll lose your last hope. All of these fears are valid.
Here's the gentle truth: the fear usually doesn't go away before you start. It goes away during. But getting to the "during" part is the hardest step. What if you could practice first?
•Vulnerability is biologically threatening — your brain treats emotional exposure the same way it treats physical danger.
•Stigma around mental health, even internalized stigma, makes the act of seeking help feel like admitting defeat.
•Past experiences with being dismissed, judged, or invalidated teach your nervous system that opening up isn't safe.
•The unknown is scary — not knowing what therapy will be like, what you'll be asked, or how you'll react creates anticipatory anxiety.
Say the hard things you've never said out loud. To an AI, the stakes feel lower. There's no face to read, no judgment to fear, no relationship to damage.
Use ILTY to figure out what's actually weighing on you. When you do start therapy, you'll arrive with more clarity about what you need to work on.
If you're not used to articulating emotions, ILTY helps you practice. Like any skill, it gets easier with repetition.
ILTY's Mindful Guide companion is patient and validating. No pressure to go deeper than you're ready for. You set the pace entirely.
We want to be honest about our limitations:
Extremely normal. Studies show therapy anxiety is one of the top barriers to seeking help. Therapists know this and are trained to make the first session as comfortable as possible. Many start just by getting to know you — no deep dives on day one.
Yes. You can use ILTY to identify what you want to work on, practice articulating feelings, and even role-play what a first session might be like. Many people find it easier to walk into therapy when they've already started putting words to their experiences.
ILTY will always be here for you. But we'd honestly prefer you eventually see a therapist too. Some things benefit from the depth and nuance of a trained human professional. Think of ILTY as a stepping stone, not a final destination.
Everything you need to know about starting therapy, from someone who won't judge your questions.
Insights that might make the idea of therapy feel less intimidating.
If social anxiety is part of why therapy feels scary, ILTY understands.
When past therapy experiences make trying again feel pointless.
ILTY is free during beta. It's not therapy. It's not a cure. It's a place to talk through what you're going through—honestly, without judgment, whenever you need it.