words, it doesn't respond to what you type by looking up a 'cure' and regurgitating it. Instead, drawing its methods from NLP, it guides clients through a process of self-examination, Rorschach tests and 'provocative therapy' to jolt them out of patterns of thinking.

The MindMentor organisation has cleverly turned privacy from a concern into a selling point, marketing the service to those embarrassed by the idea of spending time in the same room as a real, flesh-and-blood analyst. By using PayPal and email addresses, users can remain pretty much anonymous, and all session information is erased within 24 hours.

It's unlikely to cause mass unemployment among shrinks, but MindMentor looks like fun.