MindShapes
A visual vocabulary for what you can't say. Draw shapes. Share them. Resonate.
Designer · AI-assisted build · 2025
“Some ideas need a decade to ripen. In 2016, I designed a nonlingual trauma therapy manual at Folkwang — physical tools for therapists working with refugees who couldn't access talk therapy. The idea never left me. Now, with AI as a building partner, I can finally revisit and ship product ideas that I had years ago — in days instead of semesters.”
Problem
1 billion people affected by trauma.
Most can't access therapy in their language.
Refugees wait 6-8 months for therapy. When they get it, language barriers make psychoeducation nearly impossible. Trauma is stored non-verbally — visual expression can bypass what words cannot reach.
A collective visual dictionary of the mind
Browse shapes others have drawn to express dissociation, hypervigilance, flashbacks, numbness. Each shape carries a silent 'resonance' — not a like, but a 'me too.'
Draw what words can't reach
Brush, blob, spray, pencil — tools for abstract expression. Guided prompts help you start: 'What does your anxiety feel like right now?' Then tag it with a symptom category and body location.
Resonate, adapt, learn
Each shape is a window into someone's experience. See how 247 others resonated. Fork a shape and make it yours. The vocabulary grows with every contribution.
Product
Three core experiences
Shape Library
Shape Creator
Publish Flow
Key Insight
“Resonance” instead of “Likes”
A silent “me too” — not approval, but recognition. When someone resonates with your shape, it means “I feel this too.” The interaction is a hand-wave, not a heart. Community validation without performance pressure.
For Therapists — clinical tool framing
Stack & Tools
AI
design
code
infra
Reflection
What I'd revisit
The generative shape system produces variety but needs curation — some outputs are too abstract to communicate. The resonance mechanic needs longitudinal testing to see if silent validation actually builds community or just creates a passive gallery. Next: Shape Circles (community groups) and a therapist dashboard.
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