minutes per conversation, then it ends on its own
Talk it through with an ACT coach.
Say what the pain is doing to your life, out loud, and work through it with a coach trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain. Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
An AI, not a clinician. Nothing it says is medical advice. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Before you start
- This is an AI coach, not a clinician. Nothing it says is medical advice.
- It uses your microphone. Your voice is processed by our avatar and language-model providers to run the conversation; Karuna does not keep a transcript.
- Don’t share your name, address or other details that identify you.
- If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or your local emergency number instead.
In short
Karuna's ACT coach is an AI you can talk with out loud, trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy adapted for chronic pain. It helps you step back from painful thoughts, make room for hard sensations, and find one small step toward what matters. It is a coach, not a clinician: it gives no medical advice and hands off to 988 in a crisis.
ACT processes it draws on: defusion, acceptance, presence, self, values, action
the crisis line it hands off to if a conversation turns unsafe
What the coach does
Less struggle, same pain, more room.
ACT doesn’t try to switch the pain off. It works on everything the mind adds on top, so the pain takes up less of your life. The coach draws on four moves most often.
Notice the thought
“I’m broken” becomes “I’m having the thought that I’m broken.” Same thought, a little space between you and it.
Make room for the sensation
Loosen the fist you didn’t know you were making around the pain. Not liking it, not giving up — just dropping the second layer of struggle.
Find the direction
Pain can take goals. It can’t take directions. The coach helps you name what you still want your life to be about.
Take the smallest step
Not “go for a walk” — “stand on the porch for thirty seconds.” A step so small you’d almost be embarrassed to claim it.
How it is kept honest
Built with guardrails, not just a prompt.
Chronic pain already takes enough energy. A coach you can trust has to be clear about what it is, what it will not do, and what happens to your words.
It says what it is
It opens by telling you it is an AI, not a clinician, and it will say so again if you ask. It never diagnoses, never comments on medication, and points questions about your care back to the people who know your history.
A crisis ends the coaching
If you say something that suggests you may be in danger, the coaching stops and the coach gives you the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and asks whether you are safe. That rule runs in code, before any AI model sees your words.
Nothing is kept by Karuna
There is no account and no transcript stored on our side. Your voice is processed by HeyGen (the avatar) and Anthropic (the language model) for the length of the conversation, under their own privacy terms. Don’t share details that identify you.
Grounded in published ACT work
The coach follows a written framework and a library of named moves adapted from the ACT literature for chronic pain (Hayes, Harris, McCracken, Dahl) and pain neuroscience education (Moseley and Butler), reviewed by Karuna’s care team.
When not to use the coach. Chronic pain can have serious underlying causes. See a doctor promptly, or use emergency services, rather than the coach, if you have any of these:
- New or worsening weakness, numbness in the groin or saddle area, or loss of bladder or bowel control
- Unexplained weight loss, fever, or night sweats alongside the pain
- Pain that began after a significant fall, accident, or other major trauma
- A history of cancer, or pain that is constant, unrelenting, and clearly worse at night
- A new, severe pain that is unlike anything you have had before
- Chest pain, trouble breathing, or signs of a stroke
And if you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (US) now. The coach will tell you the same thing.
Questions
Before you start.
What is ACT, and why use it for chronic pain?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a behavioural therapy whose goal is psychological flexibility: being able to have a hard thought or sensation and still act on what you value. It does not try to reduce pain directly. It aims to reduce the suffering layered on top of pain, the fight, the avoidance, the shrinking life, which is where much of the damage of chronic pain is done.
ACT for chronic pain has a substantial research base and sits alongside pain neuroscience education, the idea that in persistent pain hurt does not always equal harm. Karuna's own programme, KVET, uses the same principles with movement in VR and one-on-one coaching.
Is this therapy?
No. The coach is an AI trained to hold an ACT-style conversation. It is not a licensed therapist, it cannot assess you, and it is not treatment. Think of it as a way to try the ideas on, out loud, for two minutes. If it helps, that is a good sign that working with a real ACT-trained clinician or a programme like KVET may help more.
What happens to my voice and what I say?
Your microphone audio goes to HeyGen, which runs the avatar and turns speech to text. The text of each turn goes to Anthropic's Claude, which writes the coach's reply. Karuna does not store a transcript, and there is no account. Both providers process the conversation under their own privacy policies, so please do not share your name, address, date of birth or other identifying details.
How long is a conversation?
Up to two minutes, then the session ends on its own. You can end it sooner with the End button, and you can start another whenever you like. The cap keeps each conversation focused and keeps the service free.
What should I do if I'm in crisis?
Do not use the coach. If you are in the US, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, to reach a trained person right now. Elsewhere, use your local emergency number. If you say something to the coach that suggests you may be in danger, it will stop coaching and tell you the same thing.
Can it tell me whether my pain is neuroplastic, or what treatment I need?
No, and it will say so. For a structured look at the features of neuroplastic pain, use the free screener, which also does not diagnose. For treatment questions, talk with a clinician who knows your history, or book a free consultation with Karuna's care team.
The coach is one small piece. If the ideas land, the guide to neuroplastic pain explains why pain can persist after the body has healed, the free screener looks at the features in your own pain, and how KVET™ works shows what the full programme adds: movement in VR, weekly one-on-one coaching, and clinician oversight.
Free consultation
Want a human on the line?
Talk with the Karuna care team about your pain, your history, and whether the KVET™ programme is right for you. Free, and from home.