I read a piece last month about the Veterans Affairs office testing a chatbot to help with PTSD. The idea was it gives people a place to practice tough conversations anytime, without the fear of judgment from a real person. It's like having a script run through before the big show. That stranger's story kind of tracks, sometimes you just need to word-vomit your anxiety into the void. A patient bot is probably less stressful than dealing with a human who has their own messy feelings.

Three vets couldn't, but your shoes did.