Emotional Connections: AI Chatbots and Human Relationships
Episode 198
September 17, 2025
Sep 17, 2025
Why are so many people developing emotional attachments to AI? In this episode, we dig into the surprising drivers—like loneliness, curiosity, and even the comfort of psychological safety.
We try out a live interaction with Google’s Gemini AI to see these dynamics in action. We’ll unpack both the upsides and the pitfalls of these connections, and close with some thoughtful advice on what to do if you—or someone you know—start feeling more than just “tech support” vibes from AI.
Plus, we’ll share tips on keeping your virtual and real-world relationships in healthy balance.
MEET THE GUEST
Brady Mertens, MA, LPCC-S
Brady Mertens is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Supervisor, who has been practicing since 2015. He graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a Masters in Clinical Mental Health counseling.
Brady practices a blend of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy with a sensitivity to trauma, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergence. He takes a holistic approach, believing that the more one knows about how the brain, body, spirit, and physical and social environments interact, the more one can do to create effective change. His main areas of focus include Trauma, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and relationship conflict, across late adolescence and adulthood.
In his spare time, Brady enjoys video games, brewing, creating, and psychoanalyzing tv personalities with his wife.
Brady practices a blend of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy with a sensitivity to trauma, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergence. He takes a holistic approach, believing that the more one knows about how the brain, body, spirit, and physical and social environments interact, the more one can do to create effective change. His main areas of focus include Trauma, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and relationship conflict, across late adolescence and adulthood.
In his spare time, Brady enjoys video games, brewing, creating, and psychoanalyzing tv personalities with his wife.
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