The Problem We're Solving
The standard advice for anxiety and overthinking is useless: "think positive," "distract yourself," "just stop worrying." These approaches fail because they treat thinking as a volume problem — too many thoughts, turn the volume down.
Overthinking is a resolution problem. Thoughts repeat because they're unresolved. The brain treats unresolved thoughts as open tasks (researchers call this the Zeigarnik effect) and keeps returning to them until they're closed. Positive thinking doesn't close the loop. Distraction doesn't close the loop. Structured examination does.
Cognitive behavioral therapy developed the tools to do this — thought records, cognitive restructuring, Socratic questioning — over 60 years of clinical research. These techniques are evidence-based and effective. They're also typically locked behind therapist appointments that cost $150–$300 per hour and have 3–6 week waiting lists.
Noisefilter makes the techniques available to anyone, immediately, for free.
What We Built
Three AI-guided thought examination tools, each based on a different evidence-based framework:
- CBT Thought Record — Based on Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy. The 7-column thought record is the most-researched psychological self-help technique in existence. Our version replaces static worksheets with AI-guided questions that adapt to what you actually write.
- Socratic Questioning — Based on the Socratic method as used in CBT, particularly for examining assumptions, beliefs, and decisions. Effective for thoughts that aren't simple distortions but need deeper examination.
- Byron Katie's The Work — Four questions that examine whether a painful belief is actually true and what you'd be without it. Particularly effective for thoughts about other people, relationships, and self-judgment.
All three are free. No account required. No subscription. No app to download. They work in any browser, on any device.
Our Approach to CBT
We built Noisefilter around the core mechanism of CBT: evidence examination. Not the full clinical treatment package — the specific technique that drives cognitive change.
CBT works by helping people identify automatic thoughts (fast, habitual, often distorted) and examine them against actual evidence. When you discover that "everyone thinks I'm incompetent" is contradicted by three specific pieces of evidence you hadn't consciously registered — the thought changes. Not because you forced it to, but because it's been examined.
The AI guidance in our tools is designed to do what a therapist does in a session: ask follow-up questions when you get stuck, prompt you to look for evidence you might be avoiding, and help you reach the balanced conclusion that closes the loop.
We don't diagnose. We don't treat clinical disorders. We make the techniques that help with day-to-day anxiety and overthinking — the kind that affects most people at some point — available without the cost and access barriers of clinical care.
Who This Is For
Noisefilter is designed for people who:
- Have a specific thought that keeps returning and want to work through it
- Experience anxiety or rumination that feels disproportionate to the situation
- Want to understand the cognitive patterns that produce their overthinking
- Have heard about CBT and want to experience the techniques directly
- Are already in therapy and want tools to practice between sessions
Noisefilter is not a replacement for therapy in cases of severe anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, or other clinical conditions. If you're in crisis or experiencing symptoms that significantly impair daily functioning, please seek professional support.
The Evidence Base
Every technique in Noisefilter is grounded in published research:
- CBT thought records: Effective for anxiety, depression, and rumination across hundreds of randomized controlled trials. Self-guided CBT is 70–75% as effective as therapist-led for mild-to-moderate symptoms (meta-analysis by Haug et al., 2012).
- Cognitive restructuring: The most-researched technique in psychotherapy. Consistently produces 20–40% reduction in distress per session in research settings.
- Socratic questioning: Used across CBT, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Evidence base for examining beliefs and reducing cognitive rigidity.
- Byron Katie's The Work: Emerging research on question-based inquiry for rumination and self-critical thinking. Complementary to CBT for beliefs that are less about factual distortions and more about meaning and judgment.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or partnership inquiries: use the early access form or reach out directly via the tools. We read everything.
For therapists interested in recommending Noisefilter to clients: the tools are free, require no account, and are designed to complement homework assigned in CBT sessions.