“You should always approach and use AI with caution, but it can be helpful. Especially if you are afraid of looking for therapy and need a different perspective or really want to have a completely neutral conversation partner.”

What describes your current well-being best?

How are you feeling today?

Prompted Self – A Reflective Tool for Self-Exploration

AI as a Mirror, Not a Therapist

Prompted Self – AI Therapy is a digital project that explores how artificial intelligence can support structured self-reflection. Instead of acting like a therapist, the AI serves as a mirror – reflecting back the user’s thoughts and feelings through a guided, step-by-step interface.

Understanding Prompts: The Core of the Interaction

In AI-driven conversations, a prompt is simply the input that shapes a model’s response. There are two kinds of prompts: user prompts and system prompts.

Color Therapy: How Color Affects Body and Mind

Color is more than visual. It influences how we feel, think, and heal. Prompted Self uses color therapy as part of its interface design to support emotional awareness and regulation.

The experience begins with a sequence of questions inspired by psychological concepts such as cognitive schemas and key life areas. As users respond, the system builds a personalized “system prompt” – a foundational instruction that shapes how the AI engages in further conversation. This system prompt does not aim to replicate therapy, but instead creates a space for greater self-understanding.

The process is designed to help users recognize patterns in their thinking and emotions. By engaging with questions that invite introspection, people can uncover inner experiences that may have been unconscious or unspoken. This kind of reflection can serve as a preparation for traditional therapy, helping users identify what truly matters to them before they meet with a professional.

The interface makes the process visible and transparent. Each response helps form a visual and emotional map of the conversation, showing that the AI’s guidance is rooted entirely in what the user brings to it. It’s a design that values agency, clarity, and emotional resonance.

Rather than imitating therapy, Prompted Self focuses on what happens when humans interact with AI in a deeply personal way. It raises important questions about how technology can support mental clarity, not by replacing human relationships, but by encouraging intentional self-awareness.

User prompts are the messages people type. This can be a thought, a question, or a feeling. System prompts are the instructions that define how the AI should respond including tone, focus, and intent. In Prompted Self, the system prompt is built with the user, not hidden behind the scenes. It’s created step by step, reflecting the person’s individual responses and concerns.

This process results in a custom guide that users can continue to engage with on their own or bring into conversations with an AI chatbot. The goal is not diagnosis or treatment, but insight. The more users articulate, the clearer their inner world becomes.

Each color used in the interface has been chosen for its psychological effect:

  • Brown offers a sense of stability and comfort. It grounds us and evokes feelings of safety.

  • Blue soothes the nervous system, promoting calm and mental clarity. It can be helpful during stress, sleep problems or insomnia.

  • Violet combines opposites – warm and cool, near and far. Creating a deep, reflective space. It can inspire creativity and inner balance.

  • Yellow energizes and uplifts. It encourages optimism, self-confidence, and open communication.

  • Green represents renewal and harmony. It can foster emotional balance and a sense of growth.

The website allows users to personalize their experience by choosing the color palette that best fits their current emotional state. This creates a digital environment that is not only visually pleasing but also emotionally supportive — turning the site into a space that informs, calms, and empowers.