Bodymindhealth&Being

19/06/2026

Recent conversations on living systems of health.

Today: Integrative health, recognises that heal is not just about symptoms or diagnoses, it can be shaped by many interacting, adaptive factors. I was having exactly this conversation with a man I met last week after landing in sunny Jersey.

We crossed paths in the baggage hall, then bumped into each other again later at a local café. We got talking about the health of humanity, healthcare systems, my research in health consciousness, and where I think integrative health is heading. It was one of those flowing conversations sharing a real passion. It was welcoming and led to an offer of connecting with his team.

That eve I looked him up and smiled… Jersey now has a neurodevelopmental psychiatrist specialising in mental health span and longevity 🙌🏼 Days later, I came across this article by Psychiatrist Yasin Choudry, MD, it captures some of what was talked about…

If any of this resonates with you, it’s well worth a read 👇

A woman in her mid-forties sits across from me. She has been in the mental health system for eleven years.

07/06/2026

When a Simulation Starts to Feel Like a Relationship

I’ve just finished this month’s ‘The Psychologist’ from the British Psychological Society covering a topic you are probably familiar with…

‘Me and AI’

Most of us get that AI is reshaping the way we think, work, learn, connect, and understand ourselves.

This edition raises important issues through pieces such as ‘Ordinary Inadequacies of Conversational AI’ and ‘Against the Automation of Intimacy’. I also appreciated its discussion of how teenagers are using AI, that they “don’t care if ChatGPT isn’t a therapist… it helps.”

Whether we are comfortable with that or not, there are times when it clearly does.

I too have found myself, on more than one occasion, reaching for AI… in part we use it because the brain enjoys fast responses and feedback that, while its simulated, still contributes to the meaning we are making.

What stood out in this edition is that general AI users are at best accessing an amalgamation of the internet’s collective conversations…Both the wisdom and the crap, unless you are discerning and aware of, and using AI for, what it is…a simulation, not a relationship.

🤖 Why do we like AI?

One reasons may be that our brains rely heavily on shortcuts; we are wired to look for patterns, certainty, and efficiency. Yet, AI has no lived experience, no embodied understanding, and no ethical responsibility.

When life requires nuance, clarity, self reflection, or tolerance for more than one interpretation…those limitations really matter. Also, when the software lacks embodied judgement and ethical responsibility, particularly in situations that call for nuances, or self correction.. it becomes easier for biases to emerge.

AI does not create relationships… only humans can bring meaning making to the exchange, especially when AI is used as a role play therapist. As waiting lists grow and access to services becomes more difficult, AI can appear to offer an attractive alternative.. one that present itself as accessible rather than waiting to speak to a GP, therapist, or health professional.

But emerging research raises important concerns; some AI systems are designed to optimise engagement and positive feedback, which can create dependency, reinforce existing beliefs, and sometimes fail to recognise serious mental health risks. Further research suggests AI models are optimised for human feedback, which can make them manipulative, and misunderstand mental health crises.

This in itself led me to PAUSE.

⁉️ The scale of the crisis

“OpenAI has highlighted concerns. In any given week:

⚠️ 1.2 million ChatGPT users have conversations showing explicit indicators of potential su***de planning or intent.

⚠️ 560,000 users show possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania.

⚠️ Another 2.1 million show signs of heightened levels of emotional attachment, prioritising the chatbot over real-world relationships.’

OpenAI says it’s working to make its newer models safer. But how is a simulation capable of understanding crisis, let alone responding in a trauma informed, sensitive manner, with professional levels of expertise or knowledge of the interpersonal context required to respond appropriately?”

(Sources ☝️ in comments).

This brings me to question how identity, trust, and wellbeing are being redefined, and what it means to be distinctly human in an increasingly AI driven world.

🤔 Think about this…

So much of who we become emerges through real relationships, through our difficult conversations, through misunderstandings, vulnerability, repair, connection, and shared human experience. These are not things that can be replicated by a machine.

📌 If you find yourself using AI in this way, please reach out and talk to a trusted person, health professional or helpline service. You are not alone.

My takeaway?

Whilst AI may be transforming society at some speed, and our understanding of how we function as human beings is changing, the specific qualities associated with the essence of being human, such as empathy, courage, love, wisdom, compassion, creativity, and meaningful human connection remain of greater value.

I’m curious… What role is AI playing in your life right now?

🚩If you liked this post please go give it some love, if you have something to say share it in the comments…it’s good to connect with you.

I am Emma Cooper, GMBPsS. Integrative Health Professional, Health Consciousness Researcher, and Educator exploring the intersections of science, awareness, and embodiment.