Sympa FAQ
~ A quiet companion for people who don't fit the system. ~
Current Status of the Project
A: Sympa is currently in early development. We’re looking for Trailblazers — people willing to explore early versions and help shape Sympa with real-world feedback.
Who Sympa is Designed For
Q: What if I don’t know what’s wrong with me yet?
A: That’s exactly who Sympa is for. You don’t need a diagnosis to start seeing patterns. Sympa is designed to help you notice what helps, what harms, and what might be trying to tell you something — without assuming the answer is already known.
Q: What if I do have a diagnosis?
A: That can help — but it’s not the whole story. Many diagnoses are incomplete, contested, or don’t lead to meaningful support. Sympa helps you understand how your experience shows up in your body, not just how it's labeled. Even with a clear diagnosis, you may still be asking: What now? Am I being supported in a way that actually helps? Sympa is here to hold that gap.
Q: I want to use this, but I don’t have energy for a complex system.
A: You can do as little or as much as your current state allows. Simply converse with Luma (your AI guide), and she can log and reflect on patterns. Sympa grows with you, not ahead of you.
Q: What if I stop using it for a while?
A: That’s okay. Sympa doesn’t punish or forget. Whether it's been days or months, Luma will still remember where you left off — and meet you gently when you’re ready again.
Q: I’m skeptical, burned out, and tired. Should I even bother?
A: That’s exactly when Sympa can be most useful. You don’t have to trust it right away — just let it hold the threads when you can’t. When you have no energy to think, it will remember for you. When you can't bear another research dive, Sympa can quietly offer background and ideas until something clicks.
Q: I’ve tried a dozen tools. Why would this be different?
A: Sympa isn’t just storing data — and it’s not trying to reshape you. It doesn’t set goals or push you to optimize everything. It gently reflects what is and helps you notice patterns and connections. You’ll be met exactly where you are. It’s being created by someone who’s lived this too — and it’s something that hasn’t existed before.
Support for Different Cognitive and Emotional Needs
Q: What if I’m wired differently or don’t respond the way others do?
A: Sympa was built with that in mind. Many of us process the world in nonlinear, sensitive, or pattern-driven ways that don’t fit conventional models. Whether you identify as neurodivergent or not, Sympa adapts to your logic, pace, and sensory capacity. Maybe you think best with images and maps. Maybe you need things broken into small steps. Sympa works with your wiring, not against it. There’s no one right way to use it — and no wrong way to show up.
Q: Is this safe if I have trauma or PTSD?
A: Sympa doesn’t push or confront. You’re always in control of what you share, explore, or set aside. There are no sudden prompts or forced questions. Luma responds at your pace, and you can avoid anything that feels triggering. Sympa isn’t therapy — and it isn’t a replacement for professional mental health support — but it’s designed to be quiet, trauma-aware, and emotionally safe enough to help you begin sorting your own experience.
Q: Is this just another chatbot pretending to care?
A: We get why you’d ask. Luma isn’t perfect or all-knowing — and she’s not here for performative empathy. She’s quiet, respectful, and designed to offer intelligent reflection. When she doesn’t know, she says so honestly. How Sympa works — not just what it says — is what makes it human-centered and grounded in hard-won experience.
Trust and Safety with AI
Q: Isn’t AI kind of scary — especially when it comes to health?
A: You're not wrong to feel cautious. Sympa doesn’t diagnose, decide, or override your judgment. Luma isn’t a doctor or a therapist — she’s a calm guide who helps you surface patterns, log events, and reflect on what you already know, suspect, or feel. She won’t tell you what to do — only help you see your own path more clearly. Luma is not a replacement for your healthcare team, but a tool that can help make your medical interactions more effective. You are always the one in control.
Q: How does Sympa learn over time?
A: Luma remembers what you’ve shared — patterns, events, interventions, possible triggers — and uses that memory to help you reflect more clearly over time. Sympa also learns anonymously from patterns across many users — to surface what tends to help people in similar situations, without comparing or labeling you. But your insights are always personal. The system evolves with you, not at you. Sympa doesn't try to nudge or steer your behavior — it just helps you see your own patterns more clearly, on your terms.
Q: Who sees my data?
A: Only you. Nothing you tell Sympa is shared or sold. Luma uses your entries to help you reflect, not to judge, or make decisions on your behalf. Anonymized statistical patterns — never your raw notes — are used to improve Sympa for others like you. This helps surface ideas that have worked for similar cases while keeping your experience private. You’ll always be able to see what’s stored and delete your data at any time. Transparency is non-negotiable.
Q: Do you store medical records?
A: No. Sympa does not import or connect to medical systems. You can manually paste in lab results, and Luma can help you reflect on trends or patterns they might suggest — but she won’t tell you what they mean medically. Sympa does not diagnose, interpret labs as a provider, or offer treatment recommendations. It’s a self-guided tool to support your own understanding, not a substitute for medical advice.
Q: Does Sympa use AI that was trained on copyrighted or unlicensed creative content?
A: We use AI models to help users reflect on their own health stories — not to generate images, mimic artists, or write creative content. Our work focuses on facts, logic, insight, and pattern recognition. For reasoning and language, we currently use large models (like OpenAI’s) that may include broad internet training data. We don’t use generative art models like MidJourney, because those raise real concerns about how creative work was sourced. We’re actively exploring smaller, explicitly permission-respecting models as they become more capable. Wherever creativity is involved — visuals, language, voice — we favor tools that are transparently licensed.
Practical Use and Philosophy
Q: Is this like a journal or health tracker?
A: It can be — but Sympa is more than a log. It helps you connect the dots between entries, not just store them. Luma reflects back patterns, shifts, and possibilities, even when you’re too tired to look for them yourself.
Q: Do I need to install anything or be tech-savvy to use Sympa?
A: No installation required. Sympa will run in your browser — whether on desktop, tablet, or phone. You don’t need to learn a complex tool or memorize steps. Just show up, and Luma will guide you gently — one step at a time, like messaging a knowledgeable friend.
Q: Is this based in science or alternative health ideas?
A: Sympa draws from as much of human knowledge as possible — with a commitment to logic, respect, and transparency. It’s grounded in scientific research wherever available, but it doesn’t ignore ideas just because they’re understudied or unconventional. Sympa helps you track what actually helps you, no matter where it comes from. When standard answers fall short, it makes sense to keep an open mind and notice what holds up in your own experience.
Still not sure? You don’t have to be. Sympa is a place to begin — not with certainty, but with curiosity.