When I first started using AI, I felt the familiar pull of trying to please, avoiding conflict, and hesitating to say “no.” At the end of each prompt, AI would ask me more questions, and I felt that twisting in my stomach, like I had to answer them. It wasn’t a person, but I was still trying to be liked.

That’s when I realized I was interacting with AI the same way I interact with real people.

The difference was that this time I could see it happening. That self-awareness was the first step to change.

Scripts are automatic responses we absorb through repetition. We learn them early from parents, caregivers, culture, and childhood adversity. They don’t arrive all at once as if we’re handed our new........

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