Getting started with Dawn

Open Dawn from the dashboard and have your first conversation. Honest, specific input gets the most useful responses.

Quick answer

Dawn is a conversational AI grounded in CBT, DBT, and motivational interviewing. Open it from the dashboard, say something specific about how you're actually doing, and let the conversation go where it goes. 15 messages/day on free; unlimited on Premium.

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Dawn is your AI companion for recovery — available 24/7, remembers context across conversations, and adapts as you change. The first conversation can feel awkward; pretend you're texting a friend who happens to be a CBT-trained coach.

What Dawn is grounded in

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — identifying and reframing unhelpful thought patterns.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) — building intrinsic motivation for change.

These aren't decorative — Dawn's prompt structure and exercise library are designed around each framework. See Exercises & activities for the concrete techniques you can ask for by name.

Step-by-step

Open Dawn

From the dashboard, click Dawn in the sidebar — or press D from anywhere in the app. The conversation pane opens.

Say something specific

Skip the small talk. "I had a craving after lunch, around when my coworker mentioned the bar we used to go to" gives Dawn something to work with. "I'm not great today" doesn't.

Let it go where it goes

Dawn might ask follow-up questions, suggest an exercise, or surface a coping strategy. Engage with the question or the suggestion — the conversation becomes more useful with each turn.

Save what works

If Dawn surfaces a reframe or an exercise that lands, ask it to add the insight to your companion memory. Future conversations can reference it. See Companion memory.

Tips for getting the most from Dawn

Be honest. Dawn works on what you tell it. Performing for the AI defeats the purpose.
Check in daily. Even a short conversation builds context. Patterns become visible.
Set goals. Once Dawn knows what success looks like for you, every conversation can reference it. See Goal setting.
Ask for exercises by name. "Walk me through urge surfing" or "Let's do the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise" both work.

What Dawn can help with

Daily mood reflection and craving processing.
Working through difficult emotions.
Developing and refining coping strategies.
Setting, tracking, and adjusting goals.
Guided therapeutic exercises (breathing, grounding, urge surfing, thought reframing, gratitude).
Surfacing crisis resources when needed.

What Dawn cannot do

Dawn is an AI companion, not a licensed clinician. Dawn cannot:

Diagnose conditions.
Prescribe medication.
Replace professional therapy or medical care.
Respond to emergencies in real time.

If you're in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) or local emergency services. See Crisis detection for what Dawn does in those moments.

Common pitfalls

Treating Dawn as a search engine

Dawn is for guided reflection and coping support. For factual product questions ("how do I cancel?", "what does X do?"), use the support search — it's faster and the answers are canonical.

Expecting Dawn to be your therapist

Dawn is a useful supplement to therapy or, for those without access, a useful starting point. It is not a substitute for professional care, especially for complex trauma or medication questions.