Third man syndrome refers to reported situations where an unseen presence provides comfort or support during traumatic or dangerous experiences. Some have even claimed to hallucinate a person alongside them, talking, and reasoning with each other.
There is a debugging technique in software engineering called Rubber Duck Debugging. Rather than asking someone sentient for advice on how to solve an issue you describe the problem to something inanimate (historically, a literal rubber duck).
The knowledge and understanding to overcome hardship and solve problems is often already within; verbalising it can make it real.