Easier than journaling
You don't have to sit down and write. The conversation itself is the record — TreeHole quietly turns it into a readable diary.
Why this site exists
I've lived with depression for nearly twenty years. I started on antidepressants ten years ago, and have been in counselling on and off for the last two. Outside help only reaches so far — it can hold the symptoms down, but it doesn't always get to the core.
What did reach me was rereading my own old diaries. It's not a stranger telling me what I "should" do; it's a past version of me — one who actually lived through something and came out the other side — telling the present me how I got through it. Nothing external can quite replace that.
The catch is that keeping a diary is tedious. Most people, including me, can't sustain it. So I built TreeHole — so that talking becomes the way diaries get written, and so that old entries come back on their own inside new conversations. I believe this is a way of pushing back against depression that actually works, and I'm sharing it.
How to use it
The whole thing is a loop:
- Talk — like you would with a friend: today's events, today's mood.
- Diary — TreeHole turns those conversations into a readable diary, saved by date.
- Recall — next time you talk, the AI retrieves the related past entries and brings them into the current conversation, reminding you how a past you handled something similar.
- Reread — you can also just open the diary and read your past self directly.
The result: today's venting becomes tomorrow's diary, and tomorrow's conversation brings the diary back. Your past self and your present self keep each other company here.
About the subscription
The large language model behind TreeHole is independently operated and not handed off to a third-party cloud. Keeping a system like this running has real ongoing costs; the subscription is there to share those costs so the site can stay around for the long term, and to give me room to keep refining it so it fits emotional-support conversations more closely.
Privacy & safety, built in
What you share here is among the most private writing there is, so the protection isn't bolted on afterwards — it's part of the design:
- Encrypted at rest — every account's content is sealed with AES-256-GCM under its own key, so a lost disk or a stolen database stays unreadable without it.
- Walled off per account — your conversations and diary are isolated at the data layer, so another person's search can never reach into yours.
- Kept to a minimum — the raw, word-for-word transcript is short-lived: it lasts only long enough to become a diary, then it's purged (within 30 days). The diary memory is what stays.
- Yours to erase — delete your account and everything goes with it — diary, search index, records — permanently.
- A safety net in crisis — if a conversation shows signs of self-harm or crisis, TreeHole gently surfaces real helplines and never pretends to be a substitute for professional care.
- Honest about the limits — the model runs on our own servers, not a third-party cloud. Content is encrypted at rest, but we hold the key and can technically decrypt it; we don't browse, sell, or share it — and we won't pretend "no one can ever see it." Details in the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is TreeHole a substitute for professional therapy?
No. TreeHole is a self-healing aid and an emotional diary, not a medical service. It's designed to help you reflect on your own journey. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, please contact a professional helpline immediately (Australia Lifeline 13 11 14; Mainland China 12356; or your local emergency number).
How secure is my data?
Privacy is built into the architecture. All content is encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM, and each account's data is isolated at the database layer. We don't sell, share, or browse your private thoughts.
What does "your past self" mean?
It means the AI doesn't just give generic advice. It finds moments in your past diary where you faced similar feelings and brings those memories into the current conversation, helping you see how you've grown and survived before.
Can I use TreeHole in different languages?
Yes. Though originally built for Chinese-language use, TreeHole works equally well in English and supports Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, and Russian.
Do I need to provide my real name or email?
Not necessarily. You can register with just a username and password. If you choose Google sign-in it links to your Google account, but your private diary content stays encrypted and private either way.
From the Journal
Healing · 5 min read
The Geometry of Healing: How Your Past Self Becomes Your Greatest Ally
Depression feels like a loop. Here's how reflection breaks it — and how the times you survived before become evidence of your own resilience.
Read in the Journal →
Privacy & trust · 5 min read
Privacy by Design: Why Your Secrets Stay Yours in TreeHole
Encryption at rest, per-account isolation, short-lived transcripts, our own servers — and an honest line about what we can and can't promise.
Read in the Journal →
Philosophy · 4 min read
Beyond the Screen: Why the “TreeHole” Concept Matters in the Age of AI
A treehole is a private space where you can be completely honest with yourself — and something changes when your past self can sit in the room.
Read in the Journal →