EB Psychotherapy Blog

It is not uncommon for a client to sit across from a therapist and say, “I’m afraid of dying.” In therapeutic spaces, especially those informed by existential psychology, this statement is rarely taken at face value. The meaning beneath it is often more nuanced. Existential psychology suggests that while some individuals do indeed fear the unknown aspects of death—the mystery of what happens after, or the physical process of dying—many who bring up this fear in therapy are expressing something deeper. More often than not, the fear of death is actually a fear of not having fully lived.

Many of us move through life on autopilot more often than we realize. We respond to stress in familiar ways, repeat relational patterns that feel both frustrating and strangely predictable, and make choices that align more with habit than intention. These “default ways of being” are shaped by our histories, environments, relationships, and the adaptive strategies we developed to survive and make sense of the world. At one point, these patterns likely served a purpose, and probably still do.

We speak a lot in our blogs about the implications of people relying on AI for mental health support; there are many benefits to this and nothing wrong with this. When there is no one or no where left for someone to turn, and they need insight, the ability to utilize an intelligent machine based on human wisdom to normalize their feelings, gain feedback, organize thoughts, and provide empathy is a middle ground some people need. They are not ready to rely on another human, and this way, they are not left entirely isolated and unable to reflect or receive support.

You might be doing okay, getting by; you're really fulfilled in your life. Each human being carries something deep within us that encourages us to seek connection, and it is built in to ensure our survival. We have a desire for socialization and belonging. Sometimes, this very natural need is not met the way we might be truly desiring. So we maintain our livelihoods with a small, quiet ache at the center of our being. It might be saying: "No one really sees me." Or: "I don't matter here." 

Overall, our species is changing — humanity and the essence of robotics and advanced technology will no longer be entirely separable. The effects of this change nature and the way Earth functions as a whole. That is evolution, and really, it's nothing quite new. Sometimes evolution can be scary when you see it coming. We are in a transitional era. But when it comes to mass change, there is nothing unpredictable about it— which is why the veil on thinking about AI can’t be so entirely evil and dystopian.

For many people, dating and relationships can be some of the most emotionally intense parts of someone's life. They can bring joy, excitement, intimacy, connection, and meaning — but they can also bring anxiety, confusion, rejection, heartbreak, insecurity, and grief. People can end up in situations called "trauma bonds" and then experience, negatively or positively, transformative amounts of grief. They replay deep seeded and hard wired attachment patterns out into their present day relationships. This causes extreme emotionality.

A friend recently told me they had been going through a breakup and a lot of big life changes: transformation. They had begun thinking about their mental health, communication style, and relationship patterns in-depth for the first time in many years. They expressed that they had found themselves having conversations with Chat GPT and other AI tools to help them understand their thinking better, introduce new coping skills, and provide reflections about what they are telling the software.

Mental health is often discussed in terms of thoughts, emotions, relationships, and perspective — but our bodies play a powerful role in how we feel psychologically. Nutrition and exercising specifically will directly influence mood regulation throughout the day. These areas also influence energy levels and sleep, which often determine our ability to cope with stress. While nutrition and exercise are not cures for mental health conditions, they are foundational supports that can reduce the stress of negative emotions and enhance the effectiveness of therapy and/or medication. 

Nowadays, K-12 teachers deal with a demanding and inescapable issue: children are using AI to write all of their papers, leading thought-based assignments and critical thinking exercises to be more difficult to deploy. It is becoming near impossible to be able to encourage children and teenagers to want to utilize their own academic effort, creative ideas, and personal gifts of intelligence. In a culture where speed and productivity have been so heavily emphasized, it makes sense why children want to save time and energy --- or are even simply going to do so by default, habit.

Moving into the year 2026, it's time to think about how we want to model and care for our developing children in the age of increasing dependence on technology. We do not want to shame technology use, parents who encourage technology use, or the way society is progressing with artificial intelligence. Defiance and a deeply negative attitude might not help us bond with our children over artificial intelligence the way we want to and need to. It's understandable that we want to have some level of denial about the world we live in when it feels too hard and heavy to hold.