Nicholas Gehle, Psy.D., M.B.A.

Skills learned in session vanish when patients need them most. What's tech's job here?

Hi PH — Nicholas Gehle, Psy.D. Licensed clinical psychologist. Spent ~15 years watching clients learn techniques in session that they couldn't recall when they actually needed them — at 2 AM, mid-panic, mid-fight with a partner. I started calling it "crisis amnesia." It's not memory failure. Emotion at intensity blocks access to skills. Most of the digital answers feel like one of two things to me: 1. Generative chatbots that hallucinate clinical advice and build attachment to a product instead of a relationship. 2. Static PDFs and worksheet apps that don't meet the moment when the moment is overwhelming. I've been building a third option — a library of structured, evidence-based tools (CBT, DBT, mindfulness, sleep protocols) you can open at 2 AM and finish in two minutes. No chatbot. No streaks. No engagement loops. Goes live on PH next Tuesday, May 5, 12:01 AM PT. The reason I'm posting here first — I want to know what the PH community sees: — If you've used a mental health app, what kept you using it (or made you quit)? — Founders in health tech: how are you drawing the AI / clinical guardrail line? — Clinicians on PH: what would you need to see in a tool before recommending it to your own clients? I'll be in the comments. — Nick https://strua.app/producthunt
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Rian Robertson

Fascinating insight on crisis amnesia, Nick! I've wrestled with recall under stress too...that's why I built The Sponge, an AI-powered flashcard app that turns webpages into spaced repetition study material to make knowledge stick when you need it. Will check out Strua. If you're up for it, launching The Sponge on PH soon...would appreciate a follow (See "PRODUCT HUNT LAUNCH" Link in my profile).

Nicholas Gehle, Psy.D., M.B.A.
@rianbrob Rian — thanks for the read. There's a clean mechanism overlap: spaced retrieval is the same thing Strua leans on, just for skills instead of facts. The hard part's the same — encoding-under-calm vs retrieval-under-stress. Will check out The Sponge. Good luck! — Nick