Therapy Notes Hacked: A Personal Journey from Violation to Resilience

Sat Jan 17 2026 15:19:40 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Meri-Tuuli Auer, a victim of the Vastaamo hacking scandal, shares her harrowing experience of losing her therapy records and the emotional journey that followed.

Meri-Tuuli Auer, one of the many victims affected by the Vastaamo database hack, recounts her experience when her therapy notes were stolen and extorted. Faced with public exposure of her most intimate thoughts, Auer transformed her fear into resilience and vulnerability, ultimately reclaiming her narrative through advocacy and the publication of her own book.

A soon as Meri-Tuuli Auer saw the subject line in her junk folder, she knew it was no ordinary spam email. It contained her full name and her social security number - the unique code Finnish people use to access public services and banking.

The email was full of details about Auer no one else should know.

The sender knew she had been having psychotherapy through a company called Vastaamo. They said they had hacked into Vastaamo's patient database and that they wanted Auer to pay €200 (£175) in bitcoin within 24 hours, or that price would double if she did not comply.

Fear washed over her as she realized her personal information was compromised, including her therapy discussions detailing her vulnerabilities. She became isolated and struggled with anxiety.

Meri-Tuuli was one of 33,000 Vastaamo patients affected by the hack, a national scandal that forced emergency discussions within the Finnish government. Unfortunately, before responses could be coordinated, the hacker proliferated the stolen information on the dark web. Auer’s deepest secrets were now exposed.

In the wake of this trauma, Auer found her strength through resilience, deciding to confront her fears. She began sharing her experiences publicly, discussing the breach with her family and ultimately penning a book, Everyone Gets to Know, to control her narrative.

Auer reflects on the importance of trust in therapy and how the hacking incident has impacted her and others’ willingness to seek help. Despite the enormity of the situation, Auer emerged stronger, redefining her path and advocating for transparency and security in mental health services.

Today, she emphasizes the importance of looking forward instead of being defined by her past, acknowledging that her story will always include the hacking but she now possesses the power to dictate how it unfolds.